Fallen
by Arigatomina
Summary: Yaoi, 1x2, GW-Earthian fusion. An outcast since birth, Duo struggles to fit in with his fellow angels. It would be easier if his partner weren't his foremost rival.
1. The Adoption

**Author's Notes:** This is a fusion with the Earthian manga and anime, though it will differ greatly at times from the set storyline. There will be other anime characters popping up through the fic, but the main are from Gundam Wing (particularly Duo and Heero). You shouldn't need to know any of the other anime to follow this story since the plot will sit as an 'Alternate Universe' more than anything.

**_Summary:_** As the only black-winged angel to be born on Eden, Duo has spent his life as an outcast. When he's adopted by an eccentric Archangel, his life is turned upside down. Suddenly he finds himself attending school with the top echelons of Eden, and playing academic rival to one of the most competitive and confusing angels he's ever met, Heero. It's a partnership made in Hell, set in Eden, and sent to Earth.

_Category:_ Anime, Yaoi, Gundam Wing, fusion with Earthian, AU  
_Warnings:_ minor angst, will contain shonen ai, violence, sap, and lemon/lime content  
_Pairings:_ 1x2, minor 3x4, RaphaelxMichael, and others  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina-hotmail . com  
_Website / Complete Archive:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Fallen**

_Part 1: The Adoption_

The car that came to pick him up was the most expensive one Duo had ever seen. If he hadn't been so despondent, he would have enjoyed just riding in the vehicle and looking out the tinted windows. He'd always wanted to see what it was like looking out from the inside of one of them. But sitting in that luxurious seat, with the dark glass partition separating him from the unseen driver, Duo had no thought of enjoying himself.

It was almost certainly the only time he'd be in such a vehicle, something he should have been experiencing for all he was worth so he could remember it for years to come. At the very least, he should have been looking around at the furnishings so he could tell the younger kids about it when he got back to the orphanage. And yet he couldn't seem to look above his hands, folded and pale in his lap.

He'd never been taken for an interview before. It made his hopes rise. He wished they'd simply come to him like the others. Then he'd be able to hide when the inevitable tears came.

For the last fifteen years of his life, the same ritual had been reenacted over and over, at least three times a year. Someone would come and look at him, ask him questions as if it mattered what he said, and then, when he had done his best to appear the same as any other child, he'd be asked that final question. It was always last.

Once, he'd tried to do it the moment he walked into the room, but the woman had waved the suggestion away and pretended she hadn't already made up her mind. He'd had hope that time, and he'd sat through the interview, each of her lovely smiles making his heart jump into his throat. But the time had come, like always, and she'd finally asked to see his wings. She left immediately afterwards, and he'd gone to his private hiding place in the garden to cry.

That was the last time he'd allowed himself to hope. Since then, he didn't try so hard, didn't buy into the seemingly interested questions he was asked, the fake smiles he was given. He merely waited for that final question.

And eventually he was able to stop the tears. They'd burn his eyes as he hugged himself, but he wouldn't let them fall.

He didn't know why they continued to seek him out.

He'd been at the orphanage since birth, left there by parents unknown. Other children found their way to the place after accidents, the rare disease that left children orphaned, and the Earthian-caused casualties that took checkers away from their families back in Eden. Those young ones rarely stayed long, and some were there mere days before eager parents swept them up.

Children were rare, as angels mated at irregular intervals. And the beautiful ones were often fought over in the offices of the orphanage. Duo had seen that, lovely adults arguing over who could provide the best home for the sweet child waiting in the hall.

He knew exactly what sort of behavior was best for a child who wanted to be adopted, and he'd made it a habit to instruct new arrivals on just that. It meant the ones who liked him best were gone sooner.

Sometimes he wondered at that, why he'd help his only friends to leave him as quickly as possible. But he couldn't not tell them. No one wanted to be at the orphanage for any longer than absolutely necessary.

It didn't matter what he did during his interviews, but the others were different - behavior and looks determined who was chosen. And he'd been around long enough to instruct the new arrivals on exactly how to become what the would-be parents wanted most.

That advice of his led the adults running the place to think he had a way with the other children. They had no idea that he was telling the other children how to act, teaching rambunctious boys how to pretend to be sweet obedient darlings, and helping the girls to look as pretty as possible while reminding them to smile and look as happy as if their entire futures weren't riding on the results of a single interview.

The ones running the orphanage thought it was his engaging personality that won the others over, and that was half the reason he continued to get interviews. They bragged about him as if they had no idea that to the rest of Eden he was something better left hidden if not forgotten, or disposed of altogether.

The adults liked him enough to hurt him again and again with potential parents, but not enough to adopt him themselves. If he hadn't been grateful to receive any kind of appreciation, he'd have hated them for their kindness.

But he couldn't bring himself to act badly and make them stop talking of him as if he were an upstanding youth. He didn't want to live in a place without at least one person being glad he was there.

So he continued to be on his best behavior during the interviews. He held back the scorn and the words that wanted to break free from his lips. He didn't offer to show his wings the moment he stepped into the interviewing room. He did his part and pretended he didn't know the people had only come to see the pariah.

And now he was going a step further, he was actually going away for an interview and allowing himself to get his hopes up.

He didn't know what to expect when Helen had told him he'd be having the interview outside of the orphanage. She'd seem very excited about it, smiling even more than she usually did when she told him about the people who were going to interview him.

For as long as he'd known her, the woman seemed incapable of letting the repeated failures bother her spirits. She always had that same glitter in her eyes, the reminder that this time it could be different.

He'd come to hate that smile, those words she gave again and again. But he loved her for caring enough to at least pretend someone might actually want him. It was better than nothing, and nothing was what he got from most everyone else.

She'd taken him from the kitchen and told him the news, beaming as she explained that it was an archangel who would be interviewing him. The very idea had made him want to raise an eyebrow and then respectfully decline.

Even the manual laborers turned him down. What was the point of being interviewed by an archangel?

Of course, he couldn't say anything like that to Helen, not when she started her ritual "maybe this time" speech. He'd done his best to smile at her and pretend to have just as much hope as she did.

He hadn't bothered to ask where he was going until the car arrived. By then, there wasn't time to find out.

The ride took longer than he'd expected, though he hadn't known what to expect, and he had more than enough time to think about what was to come. He could only hope they'd send him back to the car right after asking to see his wings. While he'd gotten good at keeping the tears from falling, he didn't know if he'd have as much control if others were watching him after the rejection. He'd grown reliant on that little spot in the garden behind the orphanage, his sanctuary for over ten years.

He was five when he realized his tears bothered Helen. She'd led him from the interviewing room and stopped in the hall as he started crying. And she had left him there.

He could still remember how hard he'd sobbed at being abandoned even inside his home. The adults who'd interviewed him stared when they found him just outside the door, and he'd run from their looks. He ended up finding Helen in the garden, and that was when he realized she didn't like to see him cry, and she didn't want him to see her cry either.

Since then, he'd found his own place in the garden, just like she had, so no one would see him. It was what he took to be the 'adult' thing to do, and it made it easier. He never again wanted to receive looks like the ones those adults had given him when they came out of that room. Even at five he'd known they were more disgusted by his tears than they'd been by his wings.

Duo didn't really know if he should have outgrown his ritual tears, but he sometimes wondered if they were another aberration. Helen was the only person he'd ever seen cry, and as many sad children as he'd met in the orphanage, surely another one would have cried at least once if it were a normal thing. He took it to be something private and dirty, like relieving one's self. Only he couldn't seem to break this, no matter how many years passed.

Every rejection made his throat tighten, made his eyes burn until he had to hide until he could trust himself not to let the tears fall. It was just one more thing to be ashamed of, something he couldn't help, no more than he could help the color of his wings, just one more reason to hate himself for being what he was. And it was one more reason to wish they'd stop interviewing him.

It was as if they enjoyed torturing him, like the boy he'd warned months back for poking an injured bird in the garden, as if they couldn't resist prodding him to see him twist in pain.

His hands tightened where he'd folded them in his lap, and he stared at the white-edged pink tint on his knuckles. They hurt, but he couldn't loosen the hold.

Why would they send him away for an interview?

Surely someone as prestigious as an archangel would rather come to the orphanage than have him set foot in his own home. It made him suspicious and sick to his stomach.

An archangel.

They were in charge of everything in Eden; they literally ruled the world. He'd done nothing to attract the attention of such a person. And Duo knew for a fact the only time archangels intervened was when they were sentencing derelicts to Earth.

There was no cause for that. No matter what color his wings were, he'd never done anything that would make him be punished that way. And besides, he was underage. It wasn't possible.

The car slowed, but Duo didn't so much as glance up to see where they were. He was trying frantically to loosen his hands and slow his heart.

It was just an interview, just another interview.

He'd been through this time and time again. So what if it were an archangel? It was still just another interview.

No matter how many people came to look in horrid fascination at him, he'd done nothing wrong. He wasn't being taken away to be sentenced.

Some rich angel was going out of his way for a bit of entertainment at his expense. It was just another showing of the pariah.

It was only an interview!

His shoulders began to shake just as he saw a shadow approach the window to his right. He wrenched his hands apart seconds before the door was opened.

A tall man held the door for him, watching as Duo shifted so he could get out of the car. His hands had curled into fists, and he pressed them close to his sides to hide the tremors. Standing made him feel heady and nauseated, his stomach twisting into unpleasant knots.

The man closed the car door behind him and moved as if he meant to take Duo's arm and escort him into the tall house that loomed over them. Duo's eyes dropped and he watched as the man's hand froze inches from him, hesitated, and then pulled back.

As if he were infected and a simple touch, even through cloth, would be enough to pass the disease on.

That display settled Duo's nerves better than any reassurances could have. It really was just another interview.

If they were condemning him as a Lucifer, they wouldn't have been afraid to touch him. They'd have drug him inside and thrown him into a cell until the sentencing was complete. He knew; he'd studied the laws.

He might have been a pariah, but he wasn't stupid. He was just a little unreasonable at times.

Duo sighed, a deep breath doing wonders on his queasy stomach. The man had passed him to hold the door to the mansion open for him, pale blue eyes staring at him with far more restraint than Duo was used to. If he hadn't spent years seeing it, he might have missed the uneasy interest in the man's otherwise polite gaze.

A part of him wanted to smile suddenly, to pat the man on the arm and tell him to wait, he'd get to see the wings shortly. He could just imagine how the man would jump and rub his arm, backing away in something akin to terror.

The thought made Duo's lips twitch, and he actually did smile a little.

It would be all right now. He'd go in, answer the questions, show his wings, and then leave. And who knew, maybe this time he wouldn't cry at all. He doubted a fifteen-year streak would break that quickly, but the hope let him straighten his shoulders and put on the proper mask.

By the time he entered the front doors, he had the same well-behaved demeanor he'd perfected as a little boy. It worked for every single child he'd taught it to, and it would let him honestly tell Helen he'd tried his best after he was rejected because of the color of his wings.

The house was huge, with a wide, open space just inside the doors, and curved staircases leading to the second floor across from the entrance. Duo followed the man towards these and up the right set of stairs.

He didn't really look at the pretty vases and statues they passed, each on a unique pedestal, or the lovely framed pictures of beautiful pale-haired angels that lined the walls, or the bright polished silver handles on the doors they passed. His eyes were on the soft-looking carpet that covered the center of the gleaming mahogany floor.

It was disrespectful to meet an elder with raised eyes. That would be taken as belligerence, or worse, a lack of caring. As an orphan hoping to be adopted, he was expected to be sweet and submissive. Time had taught him that mask very well, and he wore it with ease.

It was half-true, after all. He didn't think of himself as sweet, but he was entirely submissive. He'd never once argued with the people rejecting him, and obedience had kept him from being reprimanded in the orphanage. No matter what people said of him because of his wings, he was a well-behaved teenager.

The man opened a door for him, and Duo entered it quietly. From the corner of his eye, he watched the man bow and then take his leave.

A silent moment passed, no more or less than Duo was used to during an interview, and then he was invited to have a seat.

He looked up, taking in the wide desk that was rather cluttered with papers and booklets, pens and folders, with just enough free space for pale clad arms to rest on and a pretty mug to sit on a little place mat. And he met eyes with the man who'd spoken, a very beautiful man with pale wavy blonde hair, bright pale blue eyes, and a welcoming smile.

Duo's mind gave a silent snort at that smile even as he plastered a timid but hopeful look on his face.

He was careful not to walk too quickly or too slowly as he took the seat across from the desk.

It was then that he glanced to the side to look at the other man in the room. This one was not as happily pretty as the blonde, but his straight pale green hair was lovely, his face not round and young but slender instead and almost artistic.

This angel didn't smile.

Duo immediately decided he could have liked the man under different circumstances, for having the honesty not to pretend this was anything other than an exhibit. But he didn't linger.

With a solemn expression, Duo folded his hands in his lap and looked at the blonde man watching him from across that surprisingly cluttered desk.

"Welcome," said the blonde. His voice was light and careless, and his pale eyes glittered when he smiled. "I am Archangel Michael, and this is Archangel Raphael, my advisor."

The pale green-haired man was still looking at Duo, expressionless, and he gave a sharp, serious nod when the boy glanced at him again. Duo blinked, taken back by the man's behavior.

This was different. The blonde - Archangel Michael, his mind supplied, reminding him to be respectful - was acting just like any other fake interviewer. But Raphael was looking at him as if he didn't have anything to hide and wanted Duo to know that he was not happy to see him. Oh, he didn't look angry or disgusted, just not happy. Duo didn't know what to make of that.

He tore his eyes away and did his best to get back into the ruse.

"Duo," he said softly.

Of course they knew his name, but they always pretended they didn't. He'd never quite figured out why.

"Yes, yes," Michael smiled, waving a pale hand at the boy. "I've read all about you. But then, I'm sure you realize every angel on Eden knows about you."

Duo's mouth fell open before he could stop it, and he winced, closing it quickly. That was the last thing he'd expected to hear from someone interviewing him.

Of course he knew.

He'd read his own name in the history books, how could he not know? He was the only angel in the history of Eden to have been born without white wings.

But interviewers always pretended he was just another kid up until the final question. For Archangel Michael to state it outright like that...he didn't know what to make of that.

The blonde was watching him, waiting for some sort of response. All Duo could manage was a little nod. "Yes."

"Well, then," said Michael, "on to the main point of discussion."

He took a drink from his mug and leaned forward with another of those seemingly careless smiles.

"It seems my wife is unable to bear children. Rather than break from her, I've decided to take a ward. I've been meaning to do it for years, but something always comes up and I completely forget my responsibilities. I'm sure you know an archangel is required to produce at least one child during his lifetime, what with our low birthrate. I rather like my wife, so I'd rather not abandon her over something she cannot help. That leaves adoption. Which brings me to you."

The violet-eyed boy stared at him, and Michael's smile widened.

"Tell me about yourself."

"I..."

The man's smile was making his hands itch, and Duo rubbed them as inconspicuously as possible.

What was he supposed to say?

It was a direct and open question; no one ever asked him an open question. They asked what his interests were, how he felt about little things that didn't matter, what his favorite color was, or his favorite food or game, and then they asked to see his wings.

The only important thing about him was the color of his wings, and Michael had already admitted that he knew that.

"I'm..."

"There is no wrong answer," said Raphael.

His voice was deeper than Michael's, but softer and almost accented. He gave another of those sharp nods when Duo turned wide eyes up to him.

Duo frowned and shook his head. This time he wouldn't be able to say he tried his best, because he had no idea what the best answer would be to such an open-ended question.

"I'm fifteen," said Duo, "possibly sixteen since my birthdate is unknown."

He lifted his gaze, all pretense of hopefulness dropping from his face.

"I live in an orphanage and have my entire life. I've been taking care of the children for the last six years, and helping the staff since the budget was cut three years ago. I've been interviewed one hundred and fifty-three times since I was five, before then I didn't think to count. I was first placed for adoption at three. They waited till I was able to show my wings on my own, for obvious reasons. I've had no official schooling, and have no talents to speak of. And I've never flown."

That last statement did it. The blonde man had watched him with a sad expression, but the last bit made him jerk back with a visibly shocked look on his face. Duo returned it with dead calm.

"Never flown?" Raphael repeated. He moved away from the wall to stare down at Duo. "Why not? Are your wings not functional? There was no report of you having any ailment or abnormality aside from the coloring."

The man was glaring now, and for some reason it made Duo want to smile. If he hadn't known better, he'd have sworn the man was concerned and almost outraged.

Duo answered him with a careless voice, almost mimicking Michael's earlier tone. "I've never flown because there was no place to fly. Orphanages don't have the proper attendants for that, so it's left for the adopting parents to teach the children. I was never adopted."

Michael still looked shocked, but he leaned forward again, confusion in his furrowed brow. "But surely you experimented on your own. You mean to say you never snuck out to try?"

That suggestion might have made him angry if he hadn't realized the archangel was ill informed. The man obviously didn't know much about orphanages or the laws regarding them.

Duo shook his head. "Any illicit, unsupervised flight would get the orphanage shut down. Then where would I go? I wouldn't risk that."

A vague shadow passed over Michael's face, and he sent a sharp look to Raphael. The man nodded in response.

That was one law which would be eliminated within days. To think a child might grow past puberty without ever having flown was a sharp dereliction. Obviously with the huge call for adopted children, they'd never thought of a case where a child might remain in custody for so long. But that was another matter, in the meantime they'd have to take steps to prevent it from happening in the future.

Duo was watching him, and he turned back to the boy with a blatant frown.

"Now I'm afraid I don't understand at all," Michael admitted. "If you've never been schooled, how did you take the entrance exams?"

"For the academy?"

Duo's eyes widened and he felt a warm flush creep to his cheeks. Surely she hadn't...

"I didn't," he said, "not really. I was just curious to see what sort of questions they had so I asked for a transcript. But I never-"

"I have the results right here," said Michael. He shifted a few folders off the stack to his right and tapped one pointedly. "You took the same test the other students took."

"But I never turned it in," said Duo.

He could feel a wash of nervous embarrassment creep over his face and shook his head so quickly his braid caught on the back of the chair. It made him blush darker.

"I was just curious," he said quickly. "I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to see what it was like, I didn't think anyone would-"

"What I want to know," Michael interrupted, "is how you took the test without having any schooling. Those questions require extensive study to answer."

"I...I've been reading for years."

His wary gaze shifted to Raphael when the man returned to his position against the wall, and he felt his face warm even more. His cheeks might as well have been on fire.

With a deep breath, Duo closed his eyes. "It's only a crime to take the test if you attempt to submit it illicitly. I never submitted it, I swear I didn't. I wouldn't lie about my lack of education."

"He thinks he's in trouble." Raphael smirked suddenly, his eyes sparking when the boy gave him a confused look. "Michael, why don't you tell him."

"Well," Michael frowned, "there's nothing illicit about this test. Yours was signed by the witness who requested the form, and submitted by the same. And as she once served in administration at the academy, she's fully accepted to act as witness for a private testing with or without recording to back her up. I assumed this was the plan."

The formerly blushing boy was now growing rather pale. Michael's frown deepened. "You mean to tell me she gave you the test under the impression that it would not be submitted?"

"I..."

Duo swallowed sharply, his mind flying. The last thing he wanted was to get Helen in trouble.

"I asked for it," he admitted, "but I only wanted to see what it was like. I didn't really ask her if she planned to turn it in, I just thought that since I'm - that since I haven't been properly educated that it wouldn't be applicable."

"Well," said Raphael, "you thought wrong."

Wide violet eyes snapped to him, and Raphael sniffed, still smirking. "Michael, get on with it."

"It's a lot to take in," Michael sighed, frowning a bit at his friend.

Raphael raised an eyebrow and a pretty scowl passed over the blonde's face. He turned back to Duo and tapped the folder with obvious distraction.

"The fact is," said Michael, "you did very well on the exam, excellent, really. That should be no surprise to you. What is noteworthy is that you also scored the highest of this year's entering class."

Duo's gaze was still wary, but he didn't look very surprised. Michael's eyebrow twitched.

"You've caused quite an uproar, you know. The closest student was fifteen points beneath you."

There wasn't really anything to say to that, so Duo waited silently.

He was sure he'd caused an uproar, of course he had. And he was just as sure that had he not taken the test in the office at the orphanage, with its cameras, that his test would have been dismissed as a fraud. Now he knew why Helen has insisted he take it there, even after he'd told her it was just for fun.

Quite frankly, he'd been bored. Teenagers were eligible for the academy at sixteen, and though there was no chance of his going, the test had been something to look forward to. Studying for it had kept him busy for nearly two years. And while he hadn't seen any real point in the effort, he'd enjoyed pleasing Helen, and having something to do. He'd never once considered what might happen if the test were actually submitted.

The violet-eyed boy was watching him with a wary, but solemn expression. Michael waited a few minutes before frowning and tilting his head.

"It's quite an accomplishment," he said softly.

Duo blinked when he realized the man expected some sort of response from him. "Thank you?"

A soft sound made him look to his right, and Duo's eyes widened. Raphael looked like he was enjoying the way Michael twitched at his words.

"He's certainly not conceited," Raphael commented, earning himself a mock glare from his superior.

"I noticed," Michael drawled. "Well, then. That's really the main thing I wanted to discuss with you."

The boy met him with that same, steady gaze he'd used earlier.

"Do you actually want to be a checker?" asked Michael

"I never considered it," Duo admitted. "But I doubt test scores would make much difference when I can't fly. I'd probably fail the practical course."

"True," said Michael, "you'd have to get some sort of private instruction in order to catch up with the others, and even then you'd still be years behind. I'm sure you'd graduate regardless, but you'd never leave Eden without excellent flight skills. A strong partner would settle the difference, of course. Getting one would be the real challenge, though your scores could help there. I wouldn't rule it out."

Duo could feel his heart jerking at the idea, struggling to jump up into his throat. He squashed it as ruthlessly as he could. It was bad enough without getting his hopes up even higher.

He couldn't get himself adopted, there was no way he'd get into the academy, and even if he did - no one would agree to be partnered with him. Even if he were an excellent flier with the highest score in the entering class, that didn't change what he was.

Chances were good that he'd never make it through the academy, whether he had a chance to enter or not. The students would rebel if they had to work alongside him.

That wasn't even considering whether or not he wanted to go to earth and be a checker. It was an honor to go, but to be in the very place others were banished to? To go there by choice?

He honestly hadn't thought about the academy at all, just the test. The only time he'd given any thought to the earth was when he read about those angels who fled to there, or the ones who were banished to the planet. Other than that, it was just earth - the closest habitable planet to Eden.

He'd been terrified at the thought of being banished to the place, so there was no reason to wish he could go there by choice. That line of reasoning did better to calm his hopes than crushing them did.

He only wanted to go to the academy because he knew he'd never get to. What would he want with a place full of people his age who'd openly hate him? He got more than enough of that right where he was.

Besides, he didn't like the idea of judging others and marking a tally of their sins. If he went, he'd want to be a positive checker, and he was sure his background would eliminate that option.

Michael frowned a bit, his gaze moving over the silent boy seated across from him. Duo certainly didn't look overly excited, or even eager. The boy looked sober, and much older than he had earlier with that dark blush swamping his pale face. A glance at Raphael showed that his friend had drawn the same conclusion.

He had to remind himself that this wasn't just any teenager, it was a boy who'd spent his entire life in seclusion. What did that sort of thing do to a person?

By nature, angels were uncomfortable in solitude. They always traveled in pairs, anything benefiting or harming one directly affecting the other. It kept a balance on Eden as a whole, holding family lineage as the highest mark of respect and honor, and partners as the closest thing to family until mates were taken.

The checkers followed this by necessity, with a positive countering the negative checker. But even children were paired if parents had only one. That was just the way things were done.

Though Duo didn't hear the movement, he glanced up when he felt someone near him. Raphael was standing at his side, something about the man's expression making his stomach lurch.

Duo looked across the table and quickly wiped all expression off his face. He knew what was coming next.

"Come outside now," said Raphael.

Across the desk, Michael beamed at him and stood quickly. "Yes, we might as well see now before we go any further with this."

Why outside?

The question rang in Duo's mind, but he didn't voice it. It didn't really matter where he was when he showed them his wings. And doing it outside would really be best. He'd be closer to the car, so he could leave immediately afterward.

Michael led the way, Raphael trailing back so Duo walked ahead of him.

They went down the same staircase Duo had come up earlier, and this time he looked at the pictures. There was no point pretending now, so he didn't bother to lower his gaze.

As it turned out, he only had to glance at a few to catch the general pattern. The men looked eerily similar to Michael with only the shades of their hair differing, and the few women dotting the hall were blonde, almost the exact shade of Michael's hair. His first thought was that two families had kept matings inside the pact.

And that was probably just how it had happened. Prestigious families always mated with people of an equal class setting. The only time they went outside their ranks was when their first mates were unable to produce children.

Duo had expected them to go out the front door, but he was relieved when Michael led them into a back hall. While he was eager to get this over with, he definitely didn't want to do it in front of the large mansion. He could just imagine people stopping to gape at him.

The thought made his stomach twist violently, and he nearly stumbled at the wave of nausea that swept over him. If he was sick here, he'd die from the humiliation. He clenched his teeth and tried to take long breaths to steady his head, but he could feel his eyes burning.

Why couldn't they have just let him do it in the office? Why draw it out?

All of that talk about the test scores and the academy, making him think that they were different. He didn't know who to blame more, them for changing the routine, or himself for falling for it.

Something touched his shoulder and he did stumble, nearly walking right into Michael. He hadn't noticed the man had stopped and turned toward him. His entire attention had latched onto the pale hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ill?" Raphael asked, frowning down at Duo.

The boy's face was pale, almost grayish, and he could hear his frantic breathing. He sounded like he was suffering some sort of panic attack.

Duo shook his head roughly, not looking any higher than the hand still holding his shoulder. Raphael hadn't let go.

He wanted to tell him not to touch him, to glare at him for acting as if he cared, for behaving unlike anyone Duo had ever met in an interview even though he was doing the same thing everyone else had done.

But he didn't glare. He winced, dizzy from having shook his head like that.

Michael's eyes widened when Duo wavered a bit, and he crouched down so he could see the boy's lowered face. "What's wrong? If you aren't feeling well, this can wait."

"No." Duo straightened, ignoring the resulting discomfort. There was no way he'd postpone this.

He lifted reproachful eyes to Michael and blinked at the concern on the man's face. Now they were both tormenting him with those unexpected expressions.

"Nonsense," Michael frowned. He straightened as well and folded his arms over his chest. "The last thing we need is for you to strain yourself on your first try. We have a few days before classes start, more than enough time to do a test flight."

Pained confusion swamped Duo's face and he opened his mouth - only to have Michael pass him by with a somehow pleased scowl. He had an insane urge to ask the man how he could look happy when he was frowning like that.

Stopping next to Raphael, Michael sighed. "Have Muriel send for someone to check him over. I want a complete physical, particularly on his wings. Let's just hope the report was accurate or I'll be up to my ears in paperwork for the rest of the week. I might have known there'd be complications, there always are."

"And you thrive on them," Raphael smirked. "Go ahead and make your call. I'm sure you're dying to call her with the news."

"Dying isn't the right word for it," sighed Michael, "more like relieved to the point of exhaustion. The poor woman has been out of her mind with guilt. As if I'd turn her out over something so easily remedied. You'd think she didn't know me at all. Why, I have never been fickle."

A rejoinder immediately came to mind for that outright lie, but Raphael held it back, his lips twitching into a very small smirk. "Right," he drawled.

Michael shot him a suspicious look before brushing by, his hand lifted in parting. "I'll leave it to you," he called.

Dazed violet eyes followed the blonde's progress, and Raphael folded his arms over his chest, waiting for the boy to look at him. A few minutes passed before he realized that wasn't going to happen any time soon. He sighed.

"I don't believe you're sick," Raphael commented. Those eyes snapped to him, widening a bit in what looked like apprehension. "You should know that you've disappointed him a great deal, postponing this like that. I thought you'd have been as eager to test out your wings as he was to see you do it."

Duo stared, giving his head a numb shake. "Test out...?"

"That is what made you so nervous, isn't it?" Raphael sighed and turned so he could drop a hand on the boy's back, guiding him back the way they'd come. "You should realize now you'll have to wait until after the physical. If I know Mira, she'll have you doing exercises for at least a week before letting you bear your own weight. Once she gets her hands on you, you can give up any hope of flying before classes start. That means you'll miss out on the practical courses until second term."

He shot a sharp look of disapproval at the boy, his brows lowering. "Something to learn from this. If you don't face your problems, they tend to increase."

The archangel was lecturing him. Duo's eyes widened and he jerked to a halt, not caring one bit that he'd just gone against all of the rules of proper conduct.

"What are you talking about?" asked Duo. "What was he talking about! And - and where are you taking me...?"

He'd just realized that Raphael had turned somewhere in the last minute or two. The hallway they were heading down was new to him, not the way they'd been walking through earlier, or the way he'd come in. And he had a frightened notion that this wasn't a back entrance to the manor. The alternatives were worrisome to say the least.

"I'm taking you to see Muriel," said Raphael. He raised an eyebrow, wondering where the boy had been for the last ten minutes or so. "I don't have the time to stay with you till you settle, so she'll be seeing to the details. You didn't really expect to just be left to find your own way around the place, did you? Muriel handles most of the household business, which includes guest relations."

The word sunk in like an icy blade, freezing Duo on the spot. "Guest? I have to stay here? Why? If it's because I didn't-"

"Wait."

Raphael tilted his head, pale eyes gleaming down at Duo as a slow smile curved his lips. "They didn't tell you," he drawled, "did they. You thought this was some sort of meeting."

"An interview," Duo whispered, his heart jumping into his throat. "It's not...?"

"No," said Raphael. "It's not. Did you really think Michael would have brought you here if he hadn't already made up his mind?"

Duo swallowed, something fluttering around behind his ears as if that nervousness had headed north for reasons unknown. "I thought it was strange," he said slowly.

"More than strange," Raphael sniffed, "highly unlikely. He's been looking for a suitable candidate for years now. As much time as he's spent on this, he's never invited anyone to his home. The fact is, your test scores decided it. That might sound cold, but it's the simple truth. I told the administration at the orphanage the same, before you were brought here. I assumed they had told you."

"She never said a word..."

Those smiles, the glittering eyes, that everpresent hopefulness - all of it flashed into Duo's mind as he remembered his parting with Helen. She'd known? She'd known all along and had let him be tossed around, not knowing up from down? He didn't know if he felt betrayed or elated...or simply stunned.

Numb, he felt numb.

"What you're saying," Duo whispered, "is that I've already been adopted?"

"Of course." Raphael gave a sharp nod, frowning a bit for those haunted violet eyes. "It's unusual for someone to be so old and still available for adoption, so the laws have never required agreement from the child - just the adopting party. If you're angry about it being done without your agreement, you'll have to live with that anger. Legally, you are Michael's ward. Nothing will change that. I recommend that you see it for what it is, a chance to have your own life outside of the orphanage."

"But he chose me before he met me...knowing what I am..."

Duo's eyes narrowed and he scowled up at Raphael, no longer caring if it was impertinent or not. "So he wanted a pariah from the start."

Raphael stared for a long moment, then snorted at the boy. "Don't be stupid. He didn't find out who you were until he contacted the orphanage, and by then he'd already filled out the papers for the official adoption. I told you, your scores decided it. He found out who you were afterward. It didn't matter as long as the scores were accurate, which they are."

"What does it matter what I scored on a test? That's all he used to find a kid to adopt?" Duo's mouth opened to comment on how shallow that was, but he caught himself before the words got out.

The adoption was final. Did he really want to alienate the people who now as good as owned him?

"You don't know the circumstances," said Raphael, not the least bit bothered by Duo's tone. "He needed an heir, as soon as possible. It didn't matter what the sex was, or the age, or the intelligence for that matter - so long as he got himself an heir. Most of the pressure came from Lowe himself. What better way for Michael to obey, while inadvertently snubbing the head of Population Control, than to adopt the boy who beat his son out of the top spot on the entrance exams? The moment you did that, you sealed your own fate."

"So...he adopted me to get back at some guy, because I scored better than his kid did...?"

Duo's face was a picture of disbelief, with a hint of laughter creeping in around the edges. Raphael smirked at him.

"Exactly."

"That's so..."

Raphael nodded with an amused smile, and prodded Duo to continue walking down the hall. "It's Michael. He's always been that way. But don't think he won't do right by you as his heir. He takes family loyalty very seriously, as he does his position. He's never been good with children, though, so he may come off as being...out of his element. Aside from that, he means well, and you can be sure you'll find a place in his home quickly enough.

"The only responsibility you have is to hold to what you've shown you can do - your intelligence. He expects you to excel in the academy, just like your scores imply that you will. To that ends, you'll get any help you require, starting with a flight instructor. Let's hope you're a quick learner."

Duo gulped at the dark way that last bit was stated, his face growing pale. "W-what if I'm not...?"

A sly smirk answered that, though Raphael's gaze remained ominous. "Then you can look forward to more bruises than Michael had on his first test flight. It comes down to fly or fall, and he can tell you that falling is not at all pleasant."

The archangel left him shortly after that last warning, and Duo found himself in the hands of one very active, if shockingly old woman. It turned out Muriel was a bossy, gossiping old bat. Duo found himself liking her more every minute that passed.

Her simple looks and straightforward manner helped to put him at complete ease, but it was her sense of humor that made her endearing. He knew without question that she was the sort who would care about him the same way Helen had - unwaveringly.

She'd barely set eyes on him before chasing Raphael from the room, a sight that had left Duo hiding a shocked grin behind his hand. For a somewhat cold and powerful archangel, the man had been incredibly quick to give way to the woman's orders. It made him wonder if she hadn't been around when Raphael was a child, she had that sort of knowing control about her.

The first bit of business, as she put it, was setting him up with a place to live. To Duo, that meant a bed or mat, and somewhere to clean up in the mornings. He couldn't have been any further from the truth.

He was measured, poked and prodded by a blushing young girl, who obviously had no idea who he was, as Muriel made plans for his clothing. Whatever he'd left at the orphanage would stay there, or so she stated. Duo had an idea she disapproved of his simple clothing, if her sneer was any indication.

Though Duo didn't care much about clothing, he was relieved to learn that there was in fact a dress code at the academy. That meant he wouldn't have to worry about standing out if the exuberant old biddy decked him in something too extravagant. From the way she set out to decorate his room to match his eyes, he worried what sort of clothing she'd settle on. It was bad enough being who he was - he didn't want to imagine how people would stare if he were dressed in shades of blue-violet and lavender...

After the wardrobe was planned, and the decorations for his room were picked out - purple, despite Duo's faint attempt to protest in favor of simple white or gray - Muriel set him down on his bed and brought in the physician.

One look at the woman and Duo was remembering how Raphael had warned him about an angel named Mira 'getting her hands' on him. He stared at the woman, who was simply the tallest angel he'd ever seen in his entire life. She was also the most striking, with her dark blood-red hair and odd blue-gray eyes that were framed with lashes so long he could swear they stuck out further than her nose did. Her build was too strong to be 'pretty,' but he thought she might be what people meant when they described females as being handsome.

The woman fairly stalked into the room, her pale eyes narrow and commanding, and halted right in front of Duo. With her hands on her hips, she sniffed down at the wide-eyed boy. "Sixteen years? You don't look a day over fourteen."

Duo gaped for a second, then closed his mouth with a bristling frown.

"And having fainting spells at the thought of flying," Mira continued haughtily. "Utterly ridiculous."

That was too much for Duo to take silently. He scowled up at the woman. "I didn't faint, I just-"

"Felt nervous," the woman finished, her tone sickly sweet. "Yes, dear Raphael told me as much. A panic attack - just a nice way to describe a fainting spell. He's never been much for honesty when it comes to ailments, though, so what can you expect? A woman gets dizzy and it's a fainting spell, a boy nearly vomits on his shoes and he's just a little nervous. I've heard it all before."

Eyes wide at the woman's insulting tone, Duo gaped up at her. Was she married to an archangel? How could she talk about Raphael that way and expect to get away with it?

"His euphemisms aside, I'm to give you a complete physical." She raised her head so she could stare down her stately nose at Duo. "Let's see these wings that are supposedly sixteen years in the growth but without a single flight."

"Oh, really," Muriel snorted. "Don't take it out on the boy, Mira."

She sent a knowing smirk to Duo, shaking her head at the boy's dumbfounded look. "She's been up in knots over Raphael since he first married. Had her sights set on him back when he was learning to fly and did loops around her. She never could take being bested by a man, that's the honest truth of it."

Duo blinked warily, casting a sidelong look at the simmering woman who was still towering over him. "Raphael's married?"

"Of course he is," said Muriel. "He's an archangel, isn't he? They only get the four years as checkers before they have to come back and start up the family, you know. Him and Michael both had their wives picked out before they left. 'Course, it was easy for Michael, what with all those sisters Raphael had. The biggest family, this side of Eden, his is. It's a shame that didn't carry down to the children."

Mira glowered, shooting a nasty look at Muriel. "Enough gossip, you old crone. He doesn't need to get an earful from you."

She sent a sharp look at Duo, frowning down with more than a little distaste. "You've been brought into the second most powerful family in Eden, so don't let this wastrel fill your head with small talk."

Considering she'd started it by insulting that same family, Duo couldn't help raising an eyebrow at her superior tone. But she stared at him for so long that he gave in to a quick, seemingly timid nod. "Right."

"Anyway," Mira sighed, her scowl easing out into a simple frown, "let's see your wings. I was told not to comment on the color, so I take it you're the one everyone's been talking about. Why he thought to warn me, when you should be used to shocked reactions, I'll never know. It's one of those things men just don't get - you don't lie to the kids when the truth is simpler."

Muriel scowled and slipped over to put a hand on Duo's shoulder, her disapproval blazing from her eyes. "You don't have a wit of sympathy in there, do you, Mira?"

"Why should I?" Mira sniffed. "He's been adopted by an archangel - who in their right mind would feel sorry for him?"

Duo shifted uncomfortably as she frowned down at him, and he was almost relieved to show his wings. The sight of them unfurling, long black feathers gleaming in the pale room, was enough to shut both women up, and to distract them from whether or not he should be treated as a pathetic child in need of a hug.

Muriel sidled away, her eyes wide and so sad that Duo winced from them. But Mira was unaffected, something in her steady gaze telling him that she really was a qualified physician, for all her bad personality traits. She had the eyes of a scientist noting the facts without emotion. And she did what no one had done for as long as Duo could remember. She touched his wings without so much as a tremble in her hands.

What followed was a rude awakening of joints that hadn't been stretched...ever. He'd unfurled his wings once a week for years, just to have done it, but he'd never had any reason to stretch them to their full extent. He was startled to learn that they weren't just a different color, they were shorter than his height suggested they should have been. It was nearly a foot, according to Mira, but with his light body mass she didn't think it would matter.

The feathers themselves seemed thicker than normal, another startling discovery for Duo. She hypothesized that they might be more resistant to water than normal wings - a benefit. All he heard was that there was more than the appearance that separated him from other angels.

Aside from the basics, the joints were in sore disuse, and the muscles were undoubtedly just as bad. Her disbelief waned the moment he'd stretched his wings out over the bed. She believed him now, when he said again that he'd never so much as tried to fly with them. It was, she stated coldly, visible in the muscles themselves. They'd never been used.

"The people who raised you should be hung," Mira scowled.

She was holding one of his wings at the joint, pressing on it as Duo straightened it as much as he could. The difference in lengths wasn't just the shorter wingspan, his joints weren't stretching as far as they should have been.

"It's a good thing you were too nervous to do a test flight," she admitted. "In this shape, you'd have likely broken one of these the first time you set them out on the way down. Disgusting dereliction. No guardians should get away with this."

"But I can exercise them," said Duo, "can't I? And build the muscles?"

She snorted, rolling her eyes as she pressed on the joint hard enough for Duo to let out a tight grunt of pain. "Of course you can, but it's going to feel like that every single time. Let's hope you've got endurance. And whatever you do, don't let those men take you on a test flight until I give you the okay. He might be good at covering up bruises, but there isn't anything he can do for broken bones."

Duo wasn't sure what she meant, but he had an idea she was griping about Raphael again. He did his best to pretend he hadn't noticed, merely nodding at the advice. "Right."

"Well, then." Mira dropped the wing, her eyes glinting a bit when Duo caught it and lowered it with only a tiny tremor passing those dark feathers. "You stretch it out as much as you can as often as you get a chance to. I'll be back daily to work on it with you, but in the meantime you can loosen those joints on your own. Remember...if the motion hurts, it's a good thing."

A wince passed over Duo's face at that smug statement, but he accepted it with a resigned nod. The woman abruptly grinned at him, and he froze, shocked at the almost evil twist to her lips.

"Now for the rest," Mira smirked.

Duo's head snapped to the side and he caught his breath. Muriel had just bolted from the room. All color drained from his face as he turned slowly to look at the woman looming over him.

"The rest...?" Duo asked shakily.

"Of course," Mira returned, her gleaming eyes proof of how much she enjoyed that pasty look on his face. "I'm to give you a complete physical. Complete encompasses a lot more than your wings, you know."

She couldn't be serious. She just couldn't be.

Duo shivered, his eyes darting around the room as if he thought he could hide from her. A sickeningly sweet laugh made the hair on the back of his neck rise and he wilted where he sat.

"Go ahead and undress," Mira smiled. "No need to be uncomfortable, I'm a qualified physician. And this won't hurt...much."

If he could have hidden under the bed without worrying about the woman's long arms snaking in after him, he'd have zipped down there in a second. Instead, he ducked his flaming face and prayed this wouldn't last long - and that he'd never, ever, have to go through it again.

.-.-  
TBC

notes--  
I'm merging the Earthian 'Eden' with my own twisted idea of it, so don't be surprised at the changes. Heero should be showing up soon, along with other GW characters. It is a yaoi fic, but it'll be light shonen ai for a while. Muriel and Mira are mine, if anyone wondered. Raphael and Michael are from the Earthian anime.


	2. Meeting the Family

**Notes:** The anime minor characters will be drawn from include Fushigi Yuugi, Naruto, Sailormoon, possibly more. Few will really be 'featured' characters, no more than the ones from Earthian. I just don't like 'creating' characters for fanfics, so I use the closest anime character I can think of. It's a nice anti-Sue method I wish more non-yaoi fans would try.

_Category:_ Anime, Yaoi, Gundam Wing, fusion with Earthian, AU  
_Warnings:_ dialogue, a bit of shonen ai  
_Pairings:_ 1x2, minor 3x4, RaphaelxMichael, and others  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Fallen**

_Part 2: Meeting the Family_

The banquet was scheduled to begin in four hours, leaving just enough time to prepare for the guests' arrival. At least, that was what Muriel had claimed when she ushered Duo out of his room. It seemed one did not just 'dress for the occasion,' not in this household.

Within minutes he found himself soaking in the large bathing pool, a deep moving pool of warm water in an almost cavernous room that echoed dreadfully. Although he'd heard of such things, being placed in the deep water when he couldn't swim was disturbing. He remained close to the edge of the pool as his gaze took in the decorative fountain, the way the dim light glinted off the turquoise stones that represented the crystal serpent's eyes.

It was extravagant and gaudy and a complete waste of wealth and time.

Even as he thought that to himself, Duo could feel his muscles relaxing in the warm current. After the day he'd had, this rest was soothing. If he hadn't known what was coming in a few more hours, he could have forgotten his worries and really appreciated how luxurious the bath was. It was certainly more enjoyable than the hurried scrubbings he was familiar with.

He was about to meet the family. According to Muriel, Michael had arranged the banquet the same day he'd decided on Duo. She hadn't told him exactly who would be attending, just that they were very important people Duo would want to do his best to impress. And the helpful biddy had confided in him that the best way to impress them was by looking gorgeous and confident.

Duo snorted, giving a sweep of his arm over the water so the splash echoed in the room.

Confident and gorgeous were two things he didn't play well. All he wanted now was to sleep in that ridiculously huge bed and resign himself to the fact that he was really going to be living with an archangel. He didn't want to be put on display mere hours after finding out himself. He could imagine how the strangers would react to him.

First there would be the relatives. From what Muriel and Mira had let slip, Duo knew Raphael had a lot of siblings, one of which being Michael's wife. He expected at least a few of them to be there. Then there were associates. While he didn't know what sort of responsibilities Michael had as an archangel, he was certain the man had formidable friends and coworkers. He wondered if Michael had told his guests exactly whom he'd chosen as his ward. If not, they were going to be rudely surprised when they met him.

The only comfort Duo had was that Muriel said the guests were all friends and relatives of Michael. However eccentric the archangel was, Duo expected his friends would respect his decision to adopt the pariah. They would probably look askance at him, but he thought they would at least pretend to accept him as a new addition to Michael's home. He wouldn't be welcomed, but he wouldn't be openly attacked either. That was something.

Duo's real concern was more personal, regarding his role in the household. Michael had called him a ward, meaning a teenager kept and raised to adulthood. Raphael had called him an heir, meaning a son who would inherit the family tradition. And Mira had called him a foster child, though not in those exact words. Of the three, Duo suspected Mira was closest to the truth. A foster child was not necessarily a ward or an heir.

Wards had all the benefits of natural children, but without the expectations of an heir. They left the home at adulthood and kept business ties to the supporting family without any blood responsibilities. As an archangel's ward, Duo would be considered a pet in the eyes of polite society.

An heir was more like Earthian race horses. Duo had read all about those creatures, since he had a fondness for the animals described in those texts. Heirs were raised and trained to bring honor or wealth to the family investing in them. They carried the family tradition, their achievements and mistakes reflecting on their supporters. If they 'won their races' heirs were rewarded and sent on to continue the tradition, their children being accepted as members of the original family. And if they failed, they were put to pasture with as little fanfare as possible, to minimize the embarrassment of the ones training them. An heir had more to gain than a simple ward, but far more to lose if he were to fail in the eyes of the family.

A foster child was neither ward nor heir. Duo suspected this was where he fell. These children were signs of the giving and helpful nature of the people adopting them. They were often flaunted to show how charitable the family was when it came to the less fortunate. They had fewer benefits than wards, since they were taken out of necessity rather than want. But they had none of the responsibilities of heirs. These children might stay with the family their entire lives, working for them after they hit adulthood. Or they could go off and split from the family entirely. Nothing was expected from them, but neither was anything guaranteed to them.

If Duo had a choice in the matter, he would have preferred to be a ward, a glorified pet, rather than a charity case. But he didn't have a choice in the matter. He was an orphan, and despite what Michael had said, orphans were taken as heirs or foster children, never wards. Wards were teenagers whose families couldn't afford to raise them to fulfill their potential. Taking a ward was similar to taking a worker on a live-in basis until he could get his footing in Eden society.

A light clicking sound broke through Duo's thoughts, his violet gaze flashing over to the dim side of the room across the water from him. A vague light shown for a moment, outlining a tall figure in a doorway. Then it was gone and Duo ducked lower in the water.

His face was flaming hot and he couldn't help but be aware of how clear the water was. He pushed close to the edge of the pool, very glad the lighting was so dim in the room. He'd wondered why they'd have a bathing area so dark. Now he didn't care why.

"Hello, Duo," Raphael greeted.

The casual tone struck him as odd. Duo didn't bother to respond. He watched the archangel cross over to the shelves and pegs, stripping his pale robe off without so much as a glance in Duo's direction.

Duo almost choked from whipping his head away so quickly. He'd never bathed with someone else before, and he couldn't seem to remember the 'proper' thing to do when bathing with company. He thought common courtesy would be not to look at anything but the other person's face. And he had noticed that Raphael didn't so much as glance at him when he'd come over to his side of the room.

Not looking was good. He could do that. But it didn't change the fact that Duo was naked with a naked man he'd only met a few hours ago. If possible, Duo thought he could have died of mortification right there. It was almost as bad as the things Mira had done to him during her 'physical.'

No…it wasn't anywhere near as bad as that. Duo was sure he'd never look at the woman again without blushing. He suspected he'd recover from this incident without being quite so traumatized.

"Do you swim?" asked Raphael.

He'd slipped into the water a few feet from Duo, so he couldn't help but notice the way the boy was curled against the wall. He ducked his head back for a moment, wetting his pale green hair.

Duo grimaced at the prospect of replying to that question. His face was very dark when he forced his gaze over to look at Raphael's raised eyebrow.

"Why do you ask?" Duo managed.

"From the way you're hugging the edge, I didn't think you could. Have you never been in a bathing pool before?"

Raphael didn't wait for Duo to answer that question. He stretched his arms over his head, arching his back a little to get the kinks out. Then he smirked at Duo's wide eyes.

"I'll give you a few tips," said Raphael. "First, learn to float on your back. You don't have to swim to keep from drowning. The moment you go under the water, go limp and your body will float back up on its own. Second, use your wings underwater. It's good exercise, and it'll come in handy during the practical drills. I can't remember how many students failed the first time they had to crashland in the lake. Michael was especially bad at it..."

"He was?" asked Duo.

The man smirked wider and gave a slow nod. Duo found himself forgetting some of his embarrassment, his imagination running with the possible tests the academy would have during the practical course, and the idea that an archangel like Michael had actually failed one of the tests.

"How many tries do we get during the practical drills?"

"As many as it takes," said Raphael. "The actual exam comes at the end, so the drills are practice exercises. Mira doesn't think you'll be ready to take part in the practical courses the first month, but you should be able to join for the rest of the session. Me, I suspect you could join sooner than that, with a little...private instruction."

The last bit was stated in a sly tone that made Duo wary. Mira's voice flew through his mind, her warning not to let _'those men'_ take him on a test flight.

Raphael had eased down in the water and was now only a foot or so away. Duo felt his face flush again, his eyes fidgeting as he kept them locked on the man's pale face.

"What?" asked Duo, his voice a little faint and wary.

Raphael gave another of those sly smiles, his eyes narrow and glittering with amusement. "Let me see your wings. Mira may be a physician, but there are some things she can't fix as easily as I can. Michael agreed that you shouldn't have to be any further behind than you already are, so the sooner you can start working with an instructor, the better."

Duo was instantly suspicious, and naturally reluctant to display his wings to someone who seemed to like him well enough. It was that glitter that made him do it, the amusement dancing over Raphael's pale eyes.

He frowned a little and eased away from the edge of the pool, the archangel drifting to the side to give him room. Then he flexed his shoulders so his wings wouldn't unfurl onto the edge of the pool instead of in the water. Mira had said his feathers looked resistant to water, so this was as good a chance as any to test that theory out.

The sensation was unusual, the pressure of the water as it was displaced, and the heavy weighted feel of his wings being dampened down. Duo shifted his shoulders again, just getting used to the sensation. So he was surprised when a glance found Raphael perusing his wings with an interested expression.

"Absolutely black," Raphael noted. "Do they reflect any shades in full light?"

"I…I don't really know," Duo admitted, frowning at Raphael's conversational tone.

"We'll find out soon enough, I suppose. Now, duck down a little so I can stretch them over the water. And whatever you do, not a word of this to Mira. She'll suspect it, but so long as we don't confirm anything, she can't say a word about it."

"Confirm what?" asked Duo, that nervous flitter back in his throat. "What are you planning to do?"

"You don't know…?"

Raphael paused and went to crouch by Duo, leaving the wings for the moment so he could meet the boy's eyes. "There are some of us who have a certain talent, a power you might say. Every angel can use his lifeforce with the proper instruction, but some of us have other…gifts. It's rare, and it's not something you share. What I tell you here is not to leave this household. You understand family secrets? You're Michael's heir, and he wants me to help you. So I don't mind if you know. But it's not something you can repeat to outsiders. Mira, and others like her, suspect what I can do. Without proof, though, they're merely guesses. I'd rather keep it that way."

"You have…" Duo's eyes widened suddenly, and he almost jerked back in the water. "You have the touch!"

Raphael's eyes flicked off to the side, his left eyebrow twitching suddenly. "Not exactly. I do have the ability to heal things, but not with my hands. That's the reason I'd rather not have word get out about it. I would sooner die than be forced to heal random strangers this way."

"What way?" asked Duo, confusion shining on his face.

"With my tongue."

Duo's eyes widened, a little choking sound breaking from his throat. His face was pale, then flushed. And then he broke down and ducked his head to muffle laughter in his hands. He had a sudden image of Raphael healing a very disgusting, and badly placed, wound...with his mouth.

"Funny isn't it," Raphael glowered. "I've met three people with this…gift. Whatever legend people gave about healing with their hands, I've never seen proof of it. It's really no wonder the touch remains a legend. Who in his right mind would want to be forced into a healing position, having to – to…"

He grimaced and threw his hands up in disgust. Duo choked back some more of those laughs and wiped the back of his hand over his face.

"Anyway," Raphael said testily. "Michael asked me to see to it your wings are ready for use as soon as possible. Since Mira claims it's the joints causing the problem, the quickest way for me to fix it would be to injure them, and heal them entirely. It will hurt for a moment, but the result should be a complete recovery. You'll still have to build up the muscles, but with the joints mended, you can start on it tomorrow."

The man moved behind him, shifting Duo's wings so he could get to the joints. And Duo lost all traces of humor. Raphael didn't bother asking him if he wanted the help.

Because it was an order from Michael? Or a request? Either way, Duo had an idea Raphael wouldn't have stopped if he'd asked the man to.

He bit down on his bottom lip, not sure how much the 'injuring' would hurt before the healing began. His mind was quick to latch onto the idea of Michael being behind this. Now he knew why Raphael had shown up here. The remaining question was whether or not 'healing on command' was part of Raphael's job description as the archangel's advisor.

Duo was sure he knew why Michael had asked him to fix the problem. The archangel was set on making sure Duo did well at the academy. He hadn't asked Raphael to help him because he cared, or because it was the right thing to do. He was just ensuring his investment.

Maybe he really was an heir…

Something sharp pressed into one of his joints, and Duo let out a little exclamation of pain. He was sure Raphael had cut him with a fingernail – he had a sudden image of the man's long fingers, and the thick, healthy and manicured nails. Then he felt moist heat that made the pain fade away.

Duo ducked his head, his eyes wide as he felt a warm blush come to his cheeks. This was too personal...

He didn't want to admit to himself that the sensation was pleasant and soothing. All he could think was that he understood why Raphael wouldn't want to use his talent on a regular basis, certainly not on random people. In fact, Duo had an idea this talent was something Raphael shouldn't be using on anyone but his wife.

That thought added mortification to the embarrassment. Duo closed his eyes and did his best not to make a sound. He kept hearing Mira's voice in his head, comments about Raphael that he hadn't understood at the time. She'd said he was good with wounds and bruises. She obviously knew about the ability, even if she didn't have outright proof of it.

By the time Raphael finished, Duo was desperate to get away from the room so he could stop blushing long enough to breathe properly. He forgot the man was still standing behind him. He took two steps in the water and turned. One look at Raphael's expression was enough to wipe away his embarrassment. The man looked pale, more than usual. And he was leaning against the edge of the pool, a small tired smile spread over his face.

"Are you okay?" Duo asked hesitantly.

"It's been years since I healed a wing," Raphael admitted wryly. "I forget how much it takes. I'm fine, and I'm in the perfect place to relax. You should hurry on, though. I'm sure Muriel will want at least two hours to primp you before the banquet. I'll see you there."

"Is your wife coming?" asked Duo. "I'd like to meet her…"

He was trying to be nice, but he was also being honest. He felt as if he'd just done something forbidden to a married man. As outrageous as that thought was, considering it was Michael's idea to start with, Duo couldn't shake the sense that he should be guilty, and that he had to make it up to Raphael's wife.

"She should be there," Raphael said, giving a surprised smile. "She is rather shy, so I can't promise she'll speak to you when you meet. But she'll be pleased to know you were interested in her. I'll also introduce you to my son. Michael and I agree he'd be a good instructor for your flying lessons. I think he'll like you."

Duo noted that Raphael had said his son would like him, not that he'd like his son. He wondered at that as he left the pool. As far as he could tell, Raphael didn't look a day over twenty, so he couldn't imagine how old the man's son would be. With angels, especially archangels, it was difficult to judge a person's age. For all he knew, Raphael and Michael could both be in their fifties. Male angels simply didn't age the way females did, since they didn't have the burden of childbearing to strip decades from their bodies.

He made it back to his room after only three mistaken turns. Muriel promptly swept him up, primping and prodding him just as Raphael had said she would. Duo accepted the attention with a weak smile.

Raphael liked him. Duo was sure of it now. He found himself hoping the archangel's son liked him as much as his father did, and that the boy was close to his own age. He'd spent years making and losing friends in the orphanage, but most of them had been much younger than he was. Duo hadn't spent more than a day or two in the company of people his own age.

Muriel kept up a stream of comments, all of which concerned Duo's appearance. She praised his pale complexion, his slender but not starved figure, and his hair. She absolutely adored his thick, gleaming mahogany hair.

"With hair like this, why, you could shame any angel on Eden. You really must leave it down more often. Why would you want to tie it where no one can see you in all your glory? Boys these days aren't supposed to be so modest, you know."

Duo just smiled a little, not saying a word.

He kept his hair in a braid because it was easier to get around that way. He'd only grown it out because Helen had chopped it off when he was four and swore to keep doing it if he didn't stop getting food, dirt, and tangles in it. Since then, he let it grow as long as it would, and braided it away so no one would complain if he chose not to pamper it every few hours.

He'd never understand why so many of the children had spent hours on end just brushing their hair. It seemed a very big waste of time to him. He liked to sleep with it spread out and soft as much as anyone else did. But to sit around and just play with his hair all day? The idea did _not_ have merit.

"Now open your mouth, and keep your eyes wide," Muriel was saying. "There you are, just a few brushes and they spread out so prettily. You can do this with your fingertips if you're in a hurry. You have lovely long eyelashes, you know. With the proper grooming, you'll stop shaking your head at me when I call you gorgeous. Oh, yes you will."

The old woman had her hands on her hips, scowling at Duo's playful grin. He shook his head again, just to make her grumble under her breath. She was doting, and he enjoyed the attention. But he wasn't about to take her flattery as anything other than blind affection. His hair was lovely. The rest of him was plain, and he was satisfied with that.

"Now then," Muriel prodded, directing Duo over to the closet where she'd scrounged every bit of clothing she could find in his size on such short notice.

"This is a banquet," she continued, "and your appearance will reflect on the host of the house. You don't want to look too pretty, or you'll make the guests feel badly about themselves, like you're showing them up or something. Can't have that. But you don't want to downplay yourself, either. The best way to go is lovely and reserved. So no purple tonight, I'm afraid. Maybe a pristine white to bring out the color in your cheeks, or-"

"Black," said Duo. "It's their first time meeting me, so I should look the part. I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression, especially Michael's family."

"Archangel Michael," Muriel corrected absentmindedly. "And you can't wear black! The very idea, really. Don't be silly."

"I look good in it," Duo countered. "And it's sober. Isn't that what I'm aiming for here?"

Muriel shifted in discomfort, her face a mottled frown. "But black, it's-"

"The color of my wings," Duo nodded. "So it's perfect. How about that one? It's not too flashy, is it?"

"It's downright plain," Muriel grimaced. "I'm not letting you walk out there in something as plain as that. You have to wear some splash of color. Your eyes are violet, aren't they? Black wings or not, you're a flower of a child. If you insist on that one, I'll put ribbons in your hair to contrast, just you watch me."

Duo stared for a second before a wide grin spread over his face. "Deal. I wear the black suit, and you can put ribbons in my hair. I'm glad we could come to an agreement. You're so good-natured."

He patted a hand on the woman's shoulder, letting out a quiet laugh when she glowered at him. Looking at her, teasing her, made him miss Helen. He made up his mind to visit the orphanage again before he had to start at the academy. Whether Michael agreed to the trip or not, Duo was determined to go. He's spent his entire life there. He couldn't just leave without so much as a goodbye.

By the time Muriel finished with the preparations, Duo had settled himself into an outwardly confident pose. He thought he'd be able to look the people in their eyes without blushing or glaring, or dropping his gaze in discomfort. It helped that a glance in the mirror proved he 'cleaned up' as well as any angel did.

While it was customary to accent one's features, even on a daily basis in Eden society, Duo had rarely taken part in the tradition. He'd never really noticed how wide or…bright…his eyes were. There was no way he'd brush his eyelashes the way Muriel suggested, but he could see the difference. They were dark and thick, making the color in his blue-violet eyes that much lighter. Vanity aside, Duo didn't mind having something to use for boosting his confidence.

His clothing was reserved, though he'd never have called it 'plain' the way Muriel had. The material alone was worth more than a week's worth of food for the entire orphanage, nothing plain about that.

The shirt was a strong blend of silk, the sort that wasn't just soft on the outside – for appearance – but on the inside as well, for the wearer's comfort. It fell loose and straight over his arms without the billowy ruffles most angels chose to wear over their wrists, generally to accent pale slender hands. The neckline was also discrete, rounded so it closed in a faint line over his left breast and lacking any of the ornamentation of V-ruffs and jeweled latches.

The aspect Duo liked best was the way the waist split into two loose tails on either side of his hips, not necessitating the flashy scarves that were generally wrapped around shirts that had to be tucked in. That meant his pants were loose and comfortable, rather than tight and bold. He'd seen the other outfits Muriel had given him to choose from, so he knew what was 'in style' at the moment. He could only hope the dress code at the academy was too old to keep with the teenage trends.

Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to get out of the classic footwear for formal occasions. Whether he was wearing a suit, or ceremonial robes, a confident angel did not hide his feet. That meant having to put up with the glittery silver ribbons wound over his tight stockings, and the tan sandals that went with them. As far as he was concerned, the light colors clashed with his outfit. So much worry about looking perfect and yet they didn't pay a bit of mind to color coordination.

Duo was caught on that, color, mostly because of the ribbons. Muriel hadn't been joking when she'd warned him about the ribbons. She'd let down his hair and combed it until Duo was certain it would never fit back into a braid again. He hadn't even realized how thick it had gotten over the years. An hour of fidgeting while she combed it over and over had made him regret not cutting it. Once he'd seen the final result, he regretted it that much more.

His bangs were untouched, still dipping down over his face however they chose to, in thick brown locks. She'd pulled back sections to either side of his face, fashioning them into a small braid in the back. Duo hadn't minded that until he realized she'd only done it to have something to tie the ribbons onto. According to her, tiny braids would have been easiest, but they would crimp and damage his hair if left in for more than an hour. Whatever her excuse, the result was loose violet ribbons threaded around his hair so they would move when he did.

Weaving, as she called the style, was expected for those blessed with such thick and naturally wavy hair. If Duo hadn't been a little queasy at the sight of pretty violet ribbons, he might have reminded her that his hair was only wavy because it spent most of its time in a braid. He did say flat out that he'd never seen anyone wearing such a thing, not a single one out of the dozens who'd passed through the orphanage. He might have expected her response – a kind reminder that this was a formal occasion, and that one had to act the part in polite society.

Altogether, Duo was resigned to his appearance. The suit was his victory, black, subtle. The ribbons and shoes were her victory. He supposed the 'look' could have been worse. And since he was going to be living with Michael, he would just have to concede and learn to care about how he looked. He wasn't about to spend so long every time he had to go out into public scrutiny, but once in a while…he could live with the hassle of primping like a snooty angel.

Muriel directed him toward the main hall, taking it as her responsibility to keep him from getting lost again. She'd found it quite amusing that he'd taken three wrong turns on his way back from the bath. She continued to lecture him on the way, not seeming to notice or care that Duo's gaze was roaming over the little statues and trinkets that spotted the corridors.

He was expected to find Michael first, to establish himself and allow a polite introduction. Then he was to mingle, which would involve actually taking the initiative of speaking to others. He couldn't, she warned, expect them to come to him for conversation. As a partial host, politeness required he take the initiative. And whatever he did, frowning or raising one's voice was considered a grave insult. If he couldn't smile at someone, a sober and interested look would suffice.

Duo took the advice in one ear, swirling it in his head for a moment, and let it pass back out the other. He was going to make an idiot of himself.

The only thing he could find to be grateful for was that he wouldn't be expected to bow or dance or make a speech. And he was glad to hear that the dinner itself would take place afterward, family only. With both Michael and Raphael on his side, he was sure he could manage not to choke on his food in front of their relatives.

Muriel stopped just outside a dark burnt wood door with a rather simple bronze handle. She turned and pressed a quick kiss on the middle of Duo's forehead, not minding his surprised blush. Then she left him with a wave of encouragement.

He hesitated for a few minutes, just taking in the calm air around him and memorizing the orange and gold weave on the carpet beneath his feet.

This was it. He could hear quiet voices on the other side of that door, the muffled sound of people interacting in a polite and reserved manner.

Would they all freeze when he stepped through? Was there any chance of him sneaking in, finding Michael, and getting a supporting person at his back before he had all of the eyes in the room on him? Maybe he'd stumble and everyone would look away politely and break the stares. Or, more likely, he'd simply shut down and plaster a meaningless smile on his face.

He knew how to do that. He'd done it for years. He could probably even joke and play on a false cheer without anyone being the wiser. Who was he, after all? No one but Helen had ever really known him. The rest saw what he let them see. So why couldn't he just go out there and play the part?

Duo took a slow breath and opened the door. His eyes quickly adjusted to the bright glittery light from the ornamental chandelier hanging over the center of the hall. He took in the bare white walls and the bright glossy wooden floor, which was decorated with etched patterns of blue and silver. And he had a good view of the little clusters of angels that dotted the room. There were far more of them than he'd expected, and yet…there were less than he'd expected. He hadn't known what to expect.

They didn't freeze and turn en masse to stare at him. A small group of women, four of them, closest to the door glanced at him for a moment, but that was it. Then he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him, and the women looked again.

One of them broke from the group to approach him, another almost darting for the other side of the room. And the remaining two blinked curiously, either at the woman heading for him, or the one who'd fled. Duo froze.

His first thought was that the woman walking toward him was stronger than she appeared. Her clothing was a gossamer sky blue, almost matching the long hair she'd swept back into a thick braid. Her skin was so pale he could have sworn she'd never seen the sun, and her eyes were the exact ice blue color of her hair. She was wearing a fragile silver crown over her forehead, small teardrop gems falling to accent her temples. It was her gaze that struck him, a bold, almost suspicious look that hit him and arced over him as if measuring his appearance.

"Michael didn't say you were morbid," the woman said flatly.

Her voice was soft and openly displeased, which went well with the small frown that had pulled her pale pink lips into a bow. Duo wasn't sure what to say in response. He settled for a weak, slightly embarrassed smile.

"I'm sorry," Duo offered.

"Raphael warned me that you didn't want to be here," she continued, her frown growing a little deeper so it touched her eyes. "I'm the one who should apologize. If you choose to express yourself this way, you have every right to."

Duo blinked in confusion, some part of him noting that her frown was an unhappy one, not an angry one. He still had no idea what she was talking about. He glanced past her to see if the rest of the angels had centered on him yet. And he was relieved to find Michael headed in their direction. The archangel's wide guileless smile helped settle Duo's stomach.

"You are a bold one," Michael beamed, placing a warm hand on Duo's shoulder. "I can't imagine anyone being so brave as to wear black on such an occasion."

He turned to flash an almost smug smile at the pale woman. "You see, dear? He isn't at all shy. You shouldn't let Raphael twist your ear like that."

"You don't consider this a statement?" the woman asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Of course I do," said Michael. "The color looks lovely on him. I'm pleased to see he has the pride to wear it so confidently."

"Oh…"

Duo sent a confused look between the two of them. It was the color of his clothing that had upset her?

"Duo," Michael drawled with a wide smile. He stepped back and waved a graceful hand at the woman. "I'd like you to meet my wife, Diedre."

Only years of well behavior kept Duo from gaping in surprise. He ducked his head with what he hoped was a polite nod. "I'm pleased to meet you."

"Are you really?"

Duo snapped his head back, too surprised not to look right at the woman. Diedre gave him a slow, genuine smile. Had she expected him to reject or disrespect her? She was Michael's wife…

"Then I suppose I should have a word with my dear brother," she continued, her voice taking on a smooth, almost dangerous tone. "I believe he's misinformed me."

She turned her head, pale blue eyes flicking to the side to lock onto the man in question. Raphael raised an eyebrow as he came over to stand near them. Then he turned to look over Duo, a small smirk spreading over his face at the sight of his black clothing.

"That color becomes you, Duo," Raphael greeted smoothly.

"Thank you."

"And now that you've met Birdie, would you care to meet my family?" Raphael continued.

Duo's first instinct was to blurt out that Muriel had told him he'd be introduced formally before mingling with the guests. That wasn't what he ended up saying.

"Birdie?" asked Duo.

Michael gave a mock frown of disapproval, and made a show of restraining his wife, who sent a rather ruffled frown at her brother. "Miss Diedre to you, Duo. Really, Raphael, teaching him such things."

"She's quite the songbird," Raphael confided to Duo, not the least bit bothered. "You should hear her sing."

"No need to embarrass her," said Michael. "Hurry and introduce him to your family. We don't want to monopolize him. There are quite a few people curious to meet our young scholar."

Duo winced lightly at the 'scholar' and managed to say what was standing on his mind. "Am I to introduce myself individually?"

"If you don't mind," Michael smiled. "I've never held too close to formality on occasions like this. And since most of the guests are members of Raphael's family, who better to escort you? Come, Diedre, I believe Madam Lowe is puckering from curiosity. We can't let the poor lady suffer, now can we?"

Michael's wife sent Duo a guilty look as she was drawn away. Duo stared after them, unaware of how his eyebrow had quirked. If he didn't know any better, he'd have said Michael was rather lazy. He seemed to shirk his duties off on Raphael, even when it came to his own household…

Diedre paused a few steps away and turned back to frown at Raphael. "Tell Hina I'll finish my tale as soon as I can."

"Of course," said Raphael.

Once the two were out of earshot, Raphael sent a curious look at Duo. "So, which was it? Are you wearing black to be original and bold, or because you feel fatalistic? Most of the people here know who you are, so there's no need to take part in some masochistic urge to isolate yourself."

The man had hit right to the center of Duo's reasoning. Unsettled, Duo looked away. "It felt appropriate. I didn't mean to make a scene, or a statement."

"Well," Raphael remarked, "the color really does suit you. And whatever your reasons, it's nice to see a different shade. Everyone seems to think pale is best for these occasions. Just once I'd like to have a splash of red or orange in the mix. Black works well enough."

Duo blinked in surprise at the man's frown. So far Muriel's advice was landing off target. People were frowning, he hadn't been introduced, and at least Raphael seemed to think 'bold' colors were fine. Now he _really_ didn't know what to expect.

"Come, Duo. I believe my wife is hiding in that direction."

Raphael led him off with an almost playful smirk. Duo trailed after, wondering what kind of woman was married to the man, especially if she were 'hiding' in the populated part of the room.

He thought he would be introduced to her, possibly meet Raphael's son, and then be left to 'mingle' on his own. Instead they paused at each cluster, names and faces passing over Duo to the point where he knew he'd never remember even half of them. And he was really confused to learn that one out of every two was one of Raphael's siblings. After seeing the portraits of Michael's blonde male relatives, he'd have expected Raphael's brothers and sisters to look alike. They didn't. Oh, they were all pale-haired and slender, but that was about it.

Duo took to nodding and flashing polite smiles, not entirely aware of his verbal responses. He was thinking that once he got back to Muriel, he'd ask for a photo album so he could memorize the relatives. They were Diedre's kin, so it was his responsibility to know them on sight.

One thing that did stand out was that all of the women were married, while few of the men were. Duo suspected he knew why. If Raphael really had over twelve siblings, half of them were probably sterile. Large families like that tended to lose their virility after a few generations. It was one of the growing trends on Eden. Those who had the most children were the ones who would have the fewest grandchildren. Eventually it would lead to a loss of the archangel title.

The woman they had set out to find was, naturally, the last person they found. She was seated in a plush chair against the far wall, her face tilted back to look at the man she was talking with. Duo recognized her as the woman who'd fled when he entered the room. That didn't seem to bode well for him.

She was a small woman, her petite frame placing her at fifteen and barely developed. But her short purplish black hair was lined with silver threads, age creeping around her wide periwinkle eyes. It was a sign of childbearing that showed she wasn't nearly as young as her tiny frame implied.

Her eyes widened when she spotted them, pink flushing to her cheeks as she ducked her head and fidgeted her hands in her lap. Duo almost stopped in his tracks. Was she afraid?

He wasn't sure how he had pictured Raphael's wife, but it hadn't been this timid woman, who'd probably given birth a short year after hitting puberty. Someone had treated her badly, crushed her self-esteem and left a shy victim in its place. Even though he'd only known Raphael for a day, he refused to believe the archangel would do such a thing.

Raphael gave a soft smile and crouched down so the woman didn't need to look up at him. "Hina, I'd like you to meet Duo. Michael drug Birdie over to torment Odin, but she promised to finish your talk as soon as she's done. We'll be going there next, so it won't take long."

Duo couldn't stop himself from staring in rising anger at the way she looked away, her mouth moving a little without any real words making their way out. Either she was mute, or she was mumbling so quietly that he couldn't hear her words. She wasn't looking at him, but she wasn't looking Raphael in the eye either. He didn't know what to think of that.

The man Hina had been speaking to sidled a bit closer to them, speaking with a cheerful voice from behind Duo. "You're older than she thought you'd be. She's a little embarrassed."

Hina shook her head, blushing darker and mumbling a soft something that Duo thought might have been _'I'm not, not really.'_ She ventured one look at him and ducked her head again, her hands curling tighter in her lap. Then she raised her voice a little, to an audible murmur.

"Do you…like her…?"

Raphael glanced back at Duo and elaborated, "She means Birdie."

"Oh," Duo blinked. "Yes, I like her. She seems very nice."

"She'll be so happy," Hina whispered, a shy smile spreading over her face as she ducked her head a little lower. "Thank you."

Raphael grinned and ruffed a light hand over the woman's hair, as if she were a child. If anything, her smile widened.

"They've been close friends since they were children," the stranger confided to Duo. "You'd never know it to look at them, but mother is just as protective as Birdie is."

Duo jerked a little, really looking at the stranger. He was immediately struck by the man's masculine features. It wasn't that he was ugly, just that he lacked that soft effeminate touch that made Raphael every bit as lovely as his wife. And he didn't look at all like either of them, certainly not young enough to be calling Hina 'mother.'

The man was tall, a little under Raphael's height, with short pale hair that was oddly similar to Hina's eye color. Duo could have sworn it was periwinkle, a pale blue with just a hint of purple. His hair was drawn back tightly in a very short tail behind his head, one thick sweep of bangs hanging down over the left side of his face. Duo immediately saw the reason for this, glimpsing the scar that curved over the bridge of the man's nose and fully closed his left eye. His right eye was a rich mahogany shade, almost red in the pale room.

He was wearing nondescript clothing that Duo envied, a simple baggy cream shirt and tan slacks. The only bit of color on him was the dark blue cloth that arced over his left shoulder and down so it trailed his right hip in a sort of cloak.

Duo pegged the man in his early twenties, possibly older. It wasn't until the man gave a simple smile that he saw the slightest resemblance. The smile had that same soft touch Hina's had.

Raphael had glanced back in time to see the two regarding each other. Now he stood and crossed to stand at Duo's right. "Duo, this is Houjun. He's the one who'll be helping you with your flight instructions. He recently returned from Earth, so don't be surprised if he seems a little strange."

"Mou," Houjun protested, his face drawn into an almost pouting frown. He plucked at his blue wrap and sent a sad look at Duo. "I thought it was pretty, especially after being in China so long. The art there is just beautiful. No one appreciates simplicity anymore…"

Duo sent a wide-eyed look from one to the other, hesitating on Raphael's smirking expression. This was his son?

"I have to take Duo to Odin now," Raphael went on to say. "But I'll send him back to you once we've finished. I'm sure you'll find plenty to talk about. Duo seems to have a similar desire to stick out when it comes to his dress."

"He does," Houjun agreed happily. "You have very good taste, Duo."

Raphael let out a quiet laugh and prodded Duo away before he could respond. He waited until they were out of hearing range before speaking again. He slowed Duo with a light hand on the boy's shoulder, and gave him a sober look.

"Have you noticed?" asked Raphael.

Duo blinked in surprise, glancing around at the angels closest to them to see what he'd missed. "Noticed…?"

"My family," Raphael explained. "You'll hear it eventually, so let me be the first. Hina was with child when I married her, which in and of itself wouldn't be an issue. But she has no family to speak of, creating quite a class difference. If that weren't enough, her former husband became a Lucifer on his first trip to Earth."

Duo fought the urge to look back, his mouth dry. "That…"

"Exactly," said Raphael. "She considers herself as much a pariah as you, if not more so. It doesn't help that Chi – that Houjun has had considerable trouble keeping partners as a checker. When I warned you of his seeming strange, it was because of this. He recently turned from a positive to a negative checker. It doesn't suit him, and it leads him to spending more time on Earth than he does on Eden."

Duo shook his head, thinking back on his own decision to be a positive checker, or not to be a checker at all. "Can a person just switch from one to the other like that?"

"Not normally," Raphael frowned. "I spent two months arguing the case before the elders would accept the decision. It's my hope that you might have a positive influence on him during the flight instruction. Any excuse to keep him on Eden."

"You don't want him to be a negative checker?" asked Duo. "Then why would you argue his case?"

Raphael shook his head and lifted his eyes to seek out their target. "He did it for the wrong reasons. I'll discuss this with you at a later time. That man is Odin Lowe."

The way the name was given told Duo how important the man was. Of course, he remembered that name on his own. This was the person Michael had adopted him to spite. He wasn't at all what Duo had expected.

Odin Lowe was about the same height as Michael, just a few inches shorter than Raphael. His face seemed chiseled compared to Michael's soft child-like appearance, and his dark brown hair was pulled back in a long tail that trailed to his waist. The clothing marked him as a member of the military, from his dark blue uniform, to the extravagant chains and latches that decorated his gray sash and belt. Short jagged bangs framed his forehead and brought out his oddly hawkish eyes. He had the sort of scowl that could intimidate anyone.

Duo stilled himself against the glare the man snapped to him. He felt Raphael's hand leave his shoulder, telling him that he was supposed to look completely self-reliant. That was precisely the appearance he gave. With a sober and curious look, Duo met the man's gaze and went over to stand at Michael's right.

"Duo," Michael greeted, his eyes glittering with amusement. "I'd like you to meet Odin Lowe."

Not an archangel, Duo noted. He gave a polite nod to the scowling man, along with a quick _'pleased to meet you'_ that didn't sound nearly as flat as Odin's returning _'mutual, I'm sure.'_

"Unfortunately," Michael said to Duo, "Odin's son couldn't make it this evening. I'm certain you were looking forward to meeting someone so close to your own level of academic excellence."

For one terrifying moment, Duo was sure he'd break out into laughter at the impossibly pompous tone Michael had used. It was the glitter in the blonde angel's eyes, the look that told him to play along because the results would be very amusing to watch. Duo stifled the urge to laugh and gave what he hoped was a genuine look of regret.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Duo.

"Yes," Odin said testily, looking over Duo with open dislike. "With the legalities of this adoption taking precedence, he's quite busy with preparations for the commencement ceremonies. Usually the top achiever has this responsibility, but Heero was gracious enough to take it entirely upon himself. A pity. I'm sure you would have handled the matter wonderfully if you weren't otherwise occupied."

"I'm sure we can entrust the matter to your son's capable hands," Raphael drawled, a single look being enough to make Odin bristle. "If there's any problem, Duo would certainly find time to help. I would think, what with the tradition your family has as the leaders of the commencement ceremonies, that you would be proud to have your son taking the position regardless of his second place rank this year."

"Naturally," said Odin.

Duo found himself standing back from the confrontation, his attention sweeping from one man to another. There was so much hostility he didn't know how he was supposed to react. Michael was smiling lightly, appearing completely unconcerned with the sharp looks Odin sent his way. And Raphael, if Duo weren't mistaken, was using tight formality to express his anger.

Why were they enemies? Two archangels and the head of an enforcement order like population control? If anything, Duo would have expected them to band together. They were all members of the ruling class.

More personally, what responsibility was Odin talking about? Obviously there was something the top of the class was supposed to do, and since Duo wasn't doing it, the man's son had the task. But what was it? Raphael spoke as if it were an honor, Odin as if it were a distasteful job.

Duo felt completely left out of whatever the real root of the argument was. While he knew Michael had adopted him solely to anger Odin, there seemed to be a lot more to the man's hostility. It was evident from the way he'd tensed the moment Raphael spoke. If anything, he seemed to dislike him far more than he did Michael.

Someone tapped on Duo's shoulder, and he jumped at the distraction. The men were no longer paying him the least bit of attention. He didn't see a reason to stay and eavesdrop on a conversation that made no sense to him.

Houjun prodded him to follow back to the other side of the large room. He seemed eager to avoid being noticed by Odin, so Duo didn't give a polite excuse for leaving them. It wasn't until they'd put some distance between them and the men that Duo noticed the room was thinning. There were small groups seated near the walls, one larger group of women talking about something with Diedre and Hina, but most of the strangers Duo had gone through earlier were gone.

"It'll be a good hour before they can get rid of him," Houjun murmured, tossing his head in the direction of Odin. "I didn't think you'd want to stand there listening the entire time. If you want, we can slip into the hall for a while. Michael won't even notice, and Birdie is so set on keeping you from hating her, that she'd never say a word about it."

Duo nodded and followed him out the door he'd entered from earlier. Once they were in the much dimmer hall, Houjun eased down to sit crosslegged against the wall. It was so informal that Duo grinned when he joined him on the thick carpet.

"Do you sneak out often?" asked Duo.

"I don't usually have to," Houjun smiled. "I'm rarely invited to these things, especially when Odin Lowe is attending. It's been so long, I forget how stuffy they all are."

"It didn't go at all like I thought it would," said Duo. "I was expecting an interrogation, or something. They hardly stared at all."

Thinking about that made Duo wonder at the man leaning so casually against the wall opposite him. He'd taken for granted that Raphael's son would be easy around him, considering Raphael seemed to honestly like him. But that was actually strange. Duo was usually skeptical of people who acted so friendly. He couldn't help but wonder if the casual manner of the archangels was rubbing off on him.

"They wouldn't stare outright," said Houjun. "Michael doesn't tolerate snooty behavior. He says it's bad for his complexion."

Duo gave a weak grin, not sure how far he could push this seeming camaraderie. "I just met him this afternoon, but he does seem a little…eccentric."

"Now that's a nice way to put it," Houjun said, a wide smile spreading over his face. "You're very polite. When I introduced him to my partner, he said Michael was downright batty. But he really isn't, you know. He just enjoys doing whatever he can to disconcert people. The more flighty he seems, the more he's underestimated by his peers."

"I wondered," Duo admitted. "I'd never met an archangel, and he really wasn't what I was expecting."

"Mm," Houjun nodded. "So, Duo, you plan to be a checker? Do you have a side in mind, or will you wait till you find a partner to oppose?"

Duo was thrown off guard by the sudden direction of the talk. He blinked a little, remembering what Raphael had said about his son's switch from positive to negative. "I was wanting to be a positive checker. But…what do you mean about waiting? I thought partners were put together to compliment each other."

"They usually are," said Houjun. "Most pairs are children who've grown up together. Take Raphael and Michael, for example. They grew up as a pair of opposites, so it was natural for them to become checkers together. For those who didn't grow up with a partner, the academy is the best place to find one. In cases like that, you may have trouble finding an opposite you can actually get along with. I know most of the negative checkers I went to school with were unpleasant at best."

"Did you have your partner before you applied to the academy?" Duo asked, not wanting to let on that Raphael had told him about Houjun's problems.

Houjun sighed, his smile turning wistful. "I did, but it didn't work out. Did you notice that Odin doesn't like my father? That's my fault. I was partnered with his younger brother for nearly two years as a positive checker. Then he married my fiancé and things sort of fell apart."

Duo's eyes widened at the sad but easy way that bit of information was given. "R-really…"

"Yes," Houjun sighed. "Odin didn't think she was worthy of marrying into his family, so he blames me for that, and my father by default. You might have noticed that Rapheal has a penchant for picking up strays. Kouran was a labor class angel he arranged to take as a ward till she was of age. If not for that, she would never have met Hiko, and Odin wouldn't have turned his anger on our family."

"But she was your fiancé, right?" Duo blurted. "Your partner took your fiancé and that guy's the one mad about it? If anyone should be angry, it's you."

"It was over a year ago," said Houjun, his voice just a tad strict. "And it's come to light that I have no reason to marry, so it's just as well that things worked out this way. Back to the point I was trying to make – my first partner was set before I went to school. After that I had to find a partner I could get along with on my own. Like I said, I've had trouble finding negative checkers who aren't terribly cold or difficult to deal with. So instead of searching for a new graduate, I found someone I liked and opposed him.

"It's nearly impossible to switch from positive to negative, but for you that won't be a problem. It isn't uncommon for entering students to model their behavior to counter the people they want to partner with. So my question, how set are you on being a positive checker? If you are determined, then you'll have to look through the negatives for someone you can work with. If you are versatile, you have more options."

"I really don't want to be a negative checker," Duo admitted. "The idea of judging people and counting up sins…I just don't want to do that. I'm pretty sure I could do it, if I had to, but I don't want to. It just seems so…"

Pretentious, hypocritical, none of the words could be said when Duo was talking to a negative checker. The last thing he wanted was to alienate Houjun.

It was just that after all the liars he'd met, all those fake smiles on sickeningly curious faces, he wanted to see some good in people. Yes, Duo was sure he'd make a much better negative checker, since he was cynical enough to pick out every single one of the sinners. He just didn't want to make a life out of doing that. The prospect was too depressing.

"It's all right," said Houjun. "You'll have plenty of time to find a partner at the academy. And with your grades and my flight skills, you're bound to get a good sect of admirers."

Duo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. No matter how well he learned to fly, the sight of his wings in action was guaranteed to turn away all potential partners. Still, the man's smile was endearing. Duo didn't speak his doubts aloud.

"I get the feeling my father is using this as an excuse to keep me on Eden," Houjun continued, his eye glittering a little with his grin. "So I have every incentive to teach you all the tricks I know. You will, however, have to put up with my partner. Raphael can keep him away from formal gatherings, but it's just not appropriate for me to tutor a positive checker while my partner's barred from witnessing it. We'll be leaving the estate for the lessons."

Duo blinked, a small frown pulling at his lips. "Raphael doesn't like your partner?"

"You could say that," Houjun smirked. "Wait till you find yourself a negative partner. I can almost guarantee Michael will hate him. But you'll like Tasuki. He's one of the most…positive…positive checkers I've ever met. He's pretty good at flying, too. We'll just have to be careful that you don't pick up any of his more…risqué moves."

"Just learning to fly at all would be an improvement," sighed Duo. "I don't know much about the practical courses at the academy. The idea of competing against people who've been flying for years…I don't stand a chance."

"You might be surprised," said Houjun. "The first semester is composed of endurance and versatility trials. You don't get into the advanced maneuvers until the second semester. Even then, one third of the class will be kept back in the trial for an extra year. It isn't necessary to excel in the advanced course. When I took the class it was more of a game than a strict pass or fail test. It's a chance for those who don't do well with the written work to surpass their peers on a different field."

"But Raphael said you had to have excellent flight abilities to go to Earth," Duo frowned. "That means passing the advanced class, right?"

"You do need to have the basics mastered, but that is different from the advanced maneuvers course. If you pass the trials with enough skill to apply in the advanced course, you've already proven you have excellent flight abilities. Any additional skills only add to your strength as a potential checker. It's a matter of whether you graduate as a checker, or a first rate checker. With your grades, having a high flight ability will guarantee you get the best partner available to you."

Houjun glared for a second, the expression so fleeting that Duo barely caught it before it was replaced with a weak smile. "It sounds like my father is putting unnecessary pressure on you. Michael wants you to snub the Lowe family, by being the best at both the mental and physical courses. That's why he chose this year to adopt – Heero's of age to enter the academy this year. So they found someone with the potential to surpass him. Your job is to leave him in the dust."

"So I have to be the best…"

Duo's tone was blank, only a hint of anger ghosting behind his eyes. It was too much to ask from him. He had no experience at anything, no chance of surpassing someone who'd probably been geared his entire life to excel at the academy. All he had was his ability to memorize things, and to understand Earthian behavior based on his observations of adult angels. He'd seen a variety of people in his days, so he was good at predicting how people would react. That was why he'd done so well with the entrance exam. He wasn't a genius. He'd simply gotten lucky. Luck wouldn't carry him through the academy itself.

A light hand moved to Duo's shoulder, drawing his attention to the angel seated across from him. Houjun gave a slow, conspiratorial smile.

"That's what they want," said Houjun, "but that's not what you have to do. Don't let them pressure you. If you enjoy the competition, then by all means, strive for the top marks. I can help you get the inside edge on the top candidates this year, at least as far as the flight courses are concerned. As for the mental courses, you already have the advantage over Heero. The Lowe family suffers from a severe lack of creativity. Once you get to case studies, you'll see how that affects the scores. Earthians are fickle, imaginative creatures. You need to be imaginative and creative yourself, to predict individual Earthian behavior. I've never met a Lowe who had that ability. Heero isn't any different."

"I'll do my best," Duo said slowly. "Michael set me up to beat this guy, so the least I can do is my best. But…does this mean Heero is set up to beat me? Or is it just me chasing after an established expert?"

"That," said Houjun, "I don't know. As far as Hiko tells me, Heero doesn't care about things like competition. I'm sure Odin is pressuring him, but I don't know how much of that he'd take to heart. He's the sort who'd aim for perfection whether he has competition or not. It runs in the family. Chances are, he won't even notice you if you don't keep the top rank at the academy."

"He must be really good," Duo mused. "Sounds conceited."

Houjun smirked and glanced off to the side. "I believe the preferred term is self confident. You don't want to go around calling Odin's only son conceited."

Duo flushed with a weak, sheepish smile. "I'll remember that."

"You do that," Houjun smiled. "He has a lot of admirers you don't want to make enemies of. But you'll see that when you start the academy. Right now…we should get back out there. My mother is probably fretting by now, wondering where we disappeared to."

"Is she always so shy?" Duo ventured.

"Timid," Houjun nodded. "She gets nervous when she's around the families and large gatherings like this. Raphael doesn't pressure her to attend, so she hasn't had much experience. We only came tonight to meet you. Usually Raphael makes his appearances alone, or with Michael and Birdie."

"I see…"

Duo climbed slowly to his feet, not looking forward to the prospect of going back into the ballroom. His mind was swarming with thoughts about flight lessons, the academy, Odin Lowe and his conceited son, and whether or not he'd have to see Mira before he got to test his newly healed wings in actual flight.

Suddenly he was eager to get out there and finish the night. Yes, he'd have to sit through a formal dinner, and there were plenty of opportunities for embarrassment and discomfort before the evening was through. But tomorrow he'd either be trying out his wings or learning about the academy. He was eager to do both.

.-.-  
TBC

Next part, Duo does a test flight, and Heero enters the scene.


	3. The Art of Falling

_Category:_ Anime, Yaoi, Gundam Wing, fusion with Earthian, AU  
_Minor Anime:_ Fushigi Yuugi, Naruto, Sailormoon, Samurai Deeper Kyo  
**_Warnings:_** dialogue, shonen ai, slight humor, fluff  
_Pairings:_ 1x2, 3x4, RaphaelxMichael  
_Minor pairs: _Tasuki-Chichiri, Birdie-Hinageshi, Yukimura-Sasuke  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Fallen**

_Part 3: The Art of Falling_

Diedre turned out to be quite the morning person, her eyes wide and aware as if she'd been up for hours, and her long pale blue hair broken into three braids, two circling her forehead in a sort of crown and the third tied in a loop to hang halfway down her back. She almost jumped to attention when Duo entered the dining room, showing a spirited enthusiasm that made it exhausting to watch her.

Duo gave her a tired wincing smile as he half stumbled over to the surprisingly small table. A glance at her made him feel rumpled and fuzzy. He'd never been a morning person.

Muriel had woken him after what felt like two hours of sleep at the most. She'd explained the typical routine in the household, most of that consisting of warnings that Michael was rarely seen outside his office before noon, and that Diedre liked to read and snack rather than eating a formal breakfast so Duo wasn't to disturb her if she didn't greet him. Lunch was served on demand, meaning whenever he was hungry he would go to the dining room and request a meal. Dinner was the only time the family met at the table. Proper etiquette demanded he send notice if he were going to miss the evening meal.

He'd sat through the lecture, his attention on braiding his hair as tightly as he could. He didn't want it to come loose during his test flight. And he'd purposely chosen the simplest outfit available since he expected whatever he wore would get dirty if not torn and stained.

Compared to Diedre's prim yet fancy blue robes and perfect hair, Duo felt like a laborer who'd wandered into the wrong house. If he hadn't been hungry he probably would have hidden in his room till Houjun showed up to get him.

It was just as well that he hadn't. He needed to get used to seeing Diedre, however nervous she made him feel.

"Good morning, Duo," Diedre greeted. "Have you read this week's report, yet?"

She was holding a laminated scroll, the sort that were simply rolled paper for everyone else. Duo edged over to stand behind her, his attention still distracted by the table she was sitting at.

The formal banquet the night before had been held in the large dining hall, the one Muriel said was reserved for guests and special occasions. In comparing the two rooms, Duo would call the larger one gold, while this one was more…porcelain, maybe.

The walls were light cream, the floor a pale tan hardwood, and the table a slightly darker shade of brown. Even the dishes were simple glass and enamel, not a single goblet or silver lining in sight. The table itself had only six chairs and it was dwarfed by the empty space surrounding it, the door to the kitchen visible across the way.

Only one place was set, a covered platter residing as the centerpiece. Diedre was sipping a small mug on her right, a little glass bowl of toffee to her left, and the scroll spread out in front of her. She tilted the scroll back so Duo could see the headline.

"More debris landed in Gridel," she said, waving at the photo that filled the top right of the scroll. "Two casualties, fourteen wounded, and more pollution to the forest. Skywatch reported the explosion of the Earthian shuttle three days ago, and not a single person evacuated from the area."

Duo shot her a quick look, wondering if she realized he didn't know what he was looking at. The photo showed a dense forest as seen from above. The only thing odd about it, as far as Duo could see, was that the canopy was darker than it should have been, a mottled blackish green.

"We've warned them again and again," Diedre continued, her brows drawing into a dark scowl. "It's one thing to remain in the contaminated region. Putting children at risk like that is inexcusable."

"Children?" asked Duo. "You mean the casualties?"

Diedre looked up in surprise. "And the wounded. You don't know about Gridel?"

As someone who'd been adopted for his supposed intelligence, Duo couldn't help but blush at his ignorance. He dropped his eyes and shook his head.

"It's all right," Diedre said quickly. "We don't get many reports from them, and they've managed to keep out of the history books for the most part. Gridel is part of the Deluvian region. It's a small clan, mostly nomads. They rarely integrate with society."

"Deluvian," Duo repeated softly. "That's the part of Eden closest to Earth during rotation."

"Right," Diedre nodded. "Most of the Earthian-caused pollution we've suffered has happened in that area. Skywatch can predict where debris will fall, often down to the exact hour it will land. But the leaders in Gridel refuse to evacuate, even with advanced notice. They seem to think we'd use a warning to trick them into giving up their isolation. So far we haven't pushed them very hard. But this…two deaths that could easily have been avoided…it's too much. Michael will have to act on this…"

"Does he cover this sort of thing?" asked Duo.

Diedre blinked rapidly for a moment, her expression startled. Then she let out a little laugh and waved for Duo to take the prepared seat to her right.

"Listen to me gossip," she said. "You go ahead and start eating. I tend to get riled when I read the reports, so I automatically try to drag anyone I see into the discussion with me. You have more immediate concerns to tend. Hina tells me you'll be taking your first flight today. You'll want to eat a healthy breakfast for that, to build up your strength."

"I'm actually looking forward to it," Duo admitted softly.

"Are you really," Diedre murmured, her expression more thoughtful than doubtful. "Did Chiri tell you that you'll be learning with children half your age? I imagine it will be quite embarrassing at first."

Duo's eyes widened, color rushing from his face.

Children? He'd known most angels learned by the time they were old enough to run, but he hadn't once thought that he'd be taking his test flight with children. Whether he failed on his first try or not, he'd be humiliated simply for not already knowing how to fly.

Diedre caught sight of his pale face and winced, dropping her head. "He should have warned you. But…I'm sure you'll do fine."

She flashed Duo a quick smile that reached her eyes. "Most children learn with their partners, so they'll be far too busy competing with each other to really make a fuss over you. And you're older, so you won't actually be in the same section they are. I doubt they'll make you work with a net."

"A net…?"

"A saftey," Diedre explained. "The main reason children aren't allowed to take flights without an attendant is because they need a proper net, someone to catch them if they fall too quickly over land. My brother broke that rule quite often when we were younger, but we never started very high. At most, a fall would result in scrapes and bruises. The actual test flights start much higher, so they're potentially deadly to children if there isn't a safety. You're tall enough that you should be able to take the impact without serious damage."

Duo stared at her encouraging smile. Did she really think that would reassure him? He didn't particularly want to have someone baby him, but the idea of breaking a few bones if he didn't fly on his first try…

"Anyway," said Diedre, "you should eat. I expect Chiri to be here shortly. He always takes an early breakfast, so you'll want to head out as soon as he shows up."

Duo lifted the lid off the platter in the center of the table, his attention being swallowed up by the savory aroma. He took a liberal helping of the sautéed and creamed vegetables, not bothering with more than a pinch of the rice. He was more concerned with taste than filler.

"Who's Chiri?" he asked, glancing to the side as he arranged his meal.

Diedre jerked a little, her eyes wide and surprised. "You met him last night. Hina's son…?"

"Houjun…?"

An odd look passed over Diedre's face. She settled back in her chair and sniffed in audible distaste. "Raphael is so stubborn. Chiri is short for Chichiri. It's the nickname Houjun took when he became a positive checker. It isn't required, but some people choose to use nicknames when they're on earth. Raphael seems to think the nickname only refers to him as a positive checker, so he hasn't called him that since he switched to negative. It's nothing. Chiri will answer to either, so it really doesn't matter."

"Oh."

The woman turned her gaze back to the scroll, and Duo focused his attention on his meal.

His appetite had waned since learning about the children at the test flight, but he was determined to eat regardless. He was bound to be hungry later if he didn't. Since he didn't know who he was supposed to 'request lunch' from, he thought it best to eat his fill while it was offered to him. It was a habit that suited him well.

The orphanage had limited itself to two main meals and little better than a snack for midday. The result was that they'd started the day off with a nice treat, and had something even better to look forward to at the end of the day, going to sleep with a full stomach. Duo never took simple pleasures for granted.

Diedre was fully occupied with her reading, so Duo ate with more relish than he had the evening before. He'd never liked having people watch him eat. The almost companionable silence was comfortable.

He wasn't sure how long it took him to clean his plate, but no sooner did he finish than a man appeared beside him. Duo froze on instinct, his expression shuttered as he glanced over the servant. It wasn't the man who'd opened the door for him yesterday, but he had a similar look of forced politeness.

"What sort of beverage would you like, sir?" the man asked.

Diedre glanced up, her gaze snapping over to judge Duo's reaction. She smirked when the boy turned to her with uneasy eyes.

"Anything you like," she told Duo. "Once you've been here a while, Toumahs will know exactly what your preferences are. He's very reliable."

Duo glanced back at the servant just in time to see the man blush. Suddenly the man wasn't uncomfortable because he'd been forced to serve Duo, but because he'd been trying to make a good impression. It was a misread that reminded Duo he tended to expect the worst of people. He might have dropped his guard after being put at ease with Michael's family, but his instinct was still there.

"I have an established sweet tooth," Diedre continued, "so I tend to alternate between cinnamon vanilla tea and a nice blend of caramel chocolate coffee. I just prefer a warm beverage in the mornings."

"If I may," Toumahs offered, his eyes not quite high enough to meet Duo's gaze, "a hot spiced cider would sit well with this morning's dish."

Diedre laughed and waved a hand at Duo, encouraging him. "He would know. I rarely eat a proper breakfast, so I didn't consider the meal."

Duo was still feeling a dash of guilt at his quick judgment, so he flashed a smile at the nervous servant. "Both? The cider and a cup of plain coffee, the stronger the better."

"Right away," Toumahs nodded, his voice back to that 'all business' tone he'd used before.

After the man left for the kitchen, Diedre winked at Duo. "He's only been working here for a year, so he's still a little stiff at times. You should see how harried he gets around Michael."

The door behind Duo opened a crack, a bushy orange head poking through and looking around the room before ducking back out. Diedre choked, coughing around a spurt of laughter.

"Raphael isn't here," she called, wiping the back of her hand over her eyes and grinning.

"Just checking," the stranger chirped.

Duo turned around in time to see Houjun and a bright stranger enter the room. Houjun smiled at him as the two went to sit across from him and Diedre.

The stranger was dressed in blue, not the dark shade of the military, just blue. His outfit was unusual, consisting of a jacket with loose shoulders and tight long sleeves, a belt slanted over the front from one shoulder down to curve around his waist. The edges of the jacket were rounded in a sort of skirt, another belt keeping it secure to his waist. His pants were the same shade of blue, loose at the top and tighter at his ankles until they disappeared into high brown boots.

Duo stared at the boots for nearly a minute before he lifted his gaze to the man's blazing orange hair. It was wild, swept back loosely in waves that tapered out a little beneath his collar. And his eyes, wide and bright, were the same shade of orange. He had a young face, not quite as rounded as Michael's, but not nearly so slender as Houjun's. His grin widened, flashing white teeth as he caught Duo's stare.

"Tasuki," he said, waving a hand at Duo from across the table. "Chiri snuck me in so I can raid Birdie's candy bowl before we head out."

Diedre arched an eyebrow and pulled her bowl a little closer to her. "Whose candy bowl…?"

"Ah," Tasuki blurted, flashing a winsome smile at her. "The generous Madam Diedre's candy bowl, of course!"

"Hm."

"So," Houjun said, his attention on Duo. "How do you feel about horses?"

Duo blinked, his expression turning wary. "Horses…?"

"The nearest testing ground is a good way from here," Houjun explained. "Usually parents will fly their children there, but I thought it would be better if we rode. It'll give you a chance to enjoy yourself before the work starts. Tasuki's family has some of the best horses on Eden, so you don't have to worry if you've never ridden before."

"Sure," said Duo.

"Great," Tasuki blurted from around a mouthful of candies. "See, Chiri? Didn't have to con him at all. I could have slept another half hour, but no, you wanted to get here early in case we had to fly the kid."

"It wasn't just that," Houjun protested, a little frown curving his lips. "You didn't even eat breakfast. I told you we'd be demonstrating flight moves. You should eat something besides candy if you're going to show off."

"You're stuffy," Tasuki sniffed. "There's nothing better than a sugar rush for flying."

Toumahs entered the room, setting Duo's drinks beside him and refilling Diedre's mug. He moved so quickly he'd almost escaped before Tasuki centered on him with an order for the sweetest drink they had. Houjun sagged in defeat, and Diedre tagged on a request for more candies since her bowl had been all but emptied.

"Better drink up," Diedre warned Duo. "It won't take that fool long to finish off his sugar. And the next time he reaches for my candies, I'm throwing him out."

"You're so mean," Tasuki scowled, huffing a little.

"What do you expect," Diedre sniffed. "I was a negative checker. I only put up with you for Chiri's sake."

The two somehow managed to ignore each other after that, amazing considering they were seated so close. Duo finished his drinks in time to watch Tasuki down a thick glass of what looked like chocolate malt. Then Houjun hurried them out of the room before Diedre could make good on her threat.

Duo hadn't had any opportunity to explore the manor, his getting lost notwithstanding. Houjun led him down a series of halls and out what seemed to be a back door. He was quick to explain that there weren't drives leading to the nearest testing ground, so there was no point taking a vehicle.

Two horses were waiting outside, saddled and docile as they nipped at the flowerbed that lined the yard. Tasuki waved them over and stuck around long enough to see Duo safely astride the smaller of the two animals. Then he flew off with a quick promise to meet them halfway.

As much as Duo had read about horses – as they were used on Earth – he'd never actually seen one on Eden. The one he rode was a dark gray shade, patches of lighter gray over its back, and streaks of the two colors in its long tail and mane. It was rather tall, enough so that his chin didn't quite reach over its back when he'd stood beside it. And, if Houjun was right, it was female. Duo hadn't thought to look before Tasuki fairly threw him into the saddle.

Actually controlling the creature turned out to be surprisingly easy. He gripped the reins the way Houjun told him to, and tightened his legs with a clucking sound for the horse's tilted ears. He barely even had to guide it, what with Houjun leading the way. His mount followed until the two were walking side by side, sharing horse talk as they went along the path.

Duo hadn't spotted what was behind the manor when he'd arrived yesterday. Now he found himself traveling through a rather colorful forest. There didn't seem to be much wildlife aside from the cheerful raucous of the birds flittering in the canopy. They reminded Duo that it was still rather early.

The path was wild, cleared down by nothing more than footsteps over time. Considering horses were rare creatures, Duo imagined few people had ridden this way. Most angels flew or walked when going to areas of Eden that disallowed vehicles. There were other paths bending off from the one they started on. Houjun took him down the second, then the third on that path, then the first on the next…

Duo stopped trying to pretend he'd be able to find his way back alone. He just focused on the oddly soothing pace of the horse, and the nice breeze that swept through his bangs. If he'd been a little bolder, he would have been tempted to spur the horse on to a faster pace. He rather liked riding.

They traveled for about an hour before Tasuki showed up, swooping down with a loud whoop that should have spooked anyone, especially horses. The fact that Houjun's horse merely flicked its black ear proved they were used to him. He lit on the back, crouching with his wings out for balance, one hand on Houjun's shoulder to keep him in place.

"We're up next," Tasuki grinned. "Mits is running the show. Sanada's had him booked for the last hour, but he said we could do a run before he goes to the kids. Pick it up a bit, or we'll be waiting all day."

Houjun nodded to Duo and spurred his horse onto a faster clip.

It was with some pleasure that Duo followed. He had a brief moment of fear at the shaking when the horse broke into a trot, but it quickly fell into a more rhythmic canter. This was just what he'd had in mind. He barely noticed when Tasuki lifted off to keep pace over their heads. And he was disappointed that the path ended after only a few minutes.

The forest gave way to a grassy field that stretched out for miles to the right. On the left, it went a few yards before falling off, a lake glimmering from below. Duo wasn't sure how steep the cliff was, but it looked like an easy mile.

A rather tall, broad-shouldered man was standing a few feet from the edge of the cliff, his arms around a slender black-haired teenager. Off on the field, Duo could see a group of angels, probably parents, clustered around three smaller angels who appeared to be beating their wings in attempts to get off the ground. Practice? He suspected he should try that himself.

"Don't you think you're being a little excessive?"

Houjun had dismounted, and Duo followed suit, his attention shifting over to the two angels standing closest to the cliff.

The younger black-haired one was raising an eyebrow, his dark blue eyes gleaming with amusement at the man holding him. The older one snorted, his head tilted back as he watched the sky.

"He doesn't need a net," the man said, his voice low and sober. "Why do you even come when you know you can't stand down?"

"That's really not the issue," the other sniffed, his voice a light tenor. "If your hand were one inch lower, I'd cry foul."

Tasuki snickered and went to stand by Duo, directing the boy's gaze to the sky. Two angels were hovering above, a tall slender man in dark blue, and what appeared to be a small white-haired boy. Duo blinked, his gaze shifting from the pair, down to the ones on the ground.

"Is this a test?" Duo asked, his voice soft.

"Sort of," Tasuki grinned. "That big guy's Mits, Mitsukake, but that's a mouthful. Anyway, he's the attendant for the flight tests. The one he's got his hands on is none other than Yukimura Sanada. Better get an eyeful of that. You won't see anyone else trying to tell him what to do."

"Why's he holding him back?" Duo frowned. "I mean, if the kid up there is the one taking the test, then…"

"Non-participants aren't allowed to interfere," Houjun explained. "Mitsukake will act as the safety – the catcher – if the child falls too fast. A relative is allowed to be the one who drops the person, but only an attendant can act as the safety net. I hear Yukimura's had some trouble obeying that law."

"That's right," Tasuki smirked. "I hear they had to switch to Mits because Sanada went and broke the ribs of the last attendant who tried to hold him back. Seems he doesn't trust anyone else to keep his partner safe."

"Partner?" Duo blurted. He tilted his head back, squinting at the figures hovering above them. "The kid's the one taking the test, right? Don't they usually pair people by age?"

Houjun explained, his smile a little teasing. "Yukimura Sanada is nineteen this year, but he's failed the entrance exam for the academy two years running. This year, he was supposed to be the top rival to Heero. He came in third, five points behind Heero, twenty behind you. If you decide to aim for the top spot, you'll want to keep an eye out for him."

Duo's eyes widened in disbelief. Someone who'd actually failed the test two times in a row had suddenly all but aced it? What, had he cheated? Or failed the first two times on purpose? He couldn't think why anyone would do that.

His attention went back to the blackhaired teen, really looking at him this time. He was a little shorter than Michael, his black hair hanging loose till the edges curled outward just below his collar. His clothing was unusual, a tall yellow collar, six red circles on the back of his pale yellow coat, a red sash wrapped around his waist, and yellow and red stripes on the edges of his short sleeves. He was rather slender, and what little Duo could glimpse of his face looked effeminate. Duo didn't think he'd be called beautiful, but he was certainly striking with that odd outfit.

The attendant appeared overly masculine in comparison. He wasn't just tall and broad, Duo could clearly see the man's thickly muscled arms, tan against his dark gray shirt and pants. His hair was a short brown, spiky on top and held there by a red bandanna wrapped over his forehead.

Mitsukake was currently holding the teen with one arm around Yukimura's shoulders, the other crossed in front of his waist and holding his right wrist. It was the sort of hold meant to restrain, but considering how much bigger the man was, Duo didn't see the need to do more than hold one wrist.

"Does Heero see that guy as a rival, then?" asked Duo.

"Perhaps," Houjun shrugged. "Heero is hard to interpret. I know he's taking lessons on swordsmanship from Yukimura, but that doesn't have anything to do with the academy. The Sanada clan is known for their skill with weapons, so Odin as much as ordered Heero to learn from him. As far as the academy, they would be rivals…if either of them cared to compete. Like I told you, Heero cares more about perfection than competition. I only mention it to warn you that the two of them have the best chances of graduating with top marks. If you want to compete with Heero, you'll have to stay ahead of Yukimura."

"There he goes!" Tasuki blurted, waving Duo to look up. "Poor Mits…"

Duo looked up in time to see the little white-haired boy unfurl his wings. He took one look and stumbled back into Houjun.

He had seen Tasuki's wings, and his own wings, so Duo knew the proper wingspan was three-fourths bodylength per wing, making the total distance from tip to tip just about one and a half the person's height. The boy in the sky had a wingspan at least twice his height. A person so small simply didn't have the strength to control such heavy wings.

Duo gulped, grimacing at the way those wings shook, buffeted by the wind and the pressure of holding them outstretched. The boy's arms were curled in front of him, his wrists crossed as if to brace him for impact. Duo could imagine the effort required to make those heavy wings beat a single downward stroke against the fall. At best, the kid was slowing his descent just enough to keep him from breaking a few bones. It wouldn't stop him from getting pummeled when he hit the grass.

"He really doesn't need a net," Houjun murmured, his voice soft as if the kid would hear him. "With a little more practice, he'll be able to slow himself enough to land on his feet."

"Tell that to Sanada," Tasuki grinned.

A choked groan caught Duo's ear. He glanced down in time to see Mitsukake fall back, his arms raised to shield his face. Yukimura darted away, aloft just in time to pluck the falling angel out of the air four feet before he hit the ground. Two minutes of silence later, and three angry voices lit up around the black-haired teen.

"How many times have you been fined for attacking an attendant!"

"You are _so_ embarrassing! I hate you!"

"Yukimura, you promised...!"

"Are you listening, Sanada? Using your force like that, you could have broken my neck. It's a flagrant violation of-"

"Stop it! Let go! I'll kill you in your sleep."

"When your father hears about this...you promised...!"

"Sasuke," Yukimura whined, blinking wide midnight blue eyes at the struggling boy in his arms, "you don't mean that..."

"Yes, I do," the boy growled, kicking and writhing to get free. "You've humiliated me for the last time!"

"Yukimura, please," the tall black-haired man whispered, "people are starting to stare..."

"That's it," Mitsukake stated, his voice fairly booming. "Yukumura Sanada, from here on you are forbidden from coming within two miles of this training field. That's final."

"I guess we'll have to find another attendant," Yukimura sighed, patting a hand on Sasuke's smooth white hair.

"I hate you so much..."

Duo turned a stricken look on Houjun, his eyebrows slanted in despairing disbelief. "That guy got third place on the entrance exam...? How?"

"Hard to believe when he puts on displays like that," a voice called from above them.

A teenager landed next to Houjun, gifting him with a sharp nod. His dark blue gaze passed over Tasuki with just a hint of a wince, and stopped on Duo. He folded his wings without retracting them, proof that he wasn't going to stay on the ground long.

"Are you here for a flight test?"

The boy was definitely talking to him. Duo gave a vague nod, uncomfortable with the fact that he didn't know how to fly, and with the way the stranger was staring at him like he was some strange bug.

"I heard," the boy stated. "I'm here to meet Sanada. I didn't come to watch you fall."

Duo's eyes widened, an angry flush breaking over his face. Sure, he probably would fall his first try. But for a perfect stranger to throw it in his face like that?

"Heero," Houjun murmured, pretending not to notice the way Duo stiffened, "How is Hiko?"

"Fine," Heero shrugged, turning bored eyes on the older angel. "He's been excessive lately, but we expect the child to be born within the week. Odin's still threatening to throw them out if it's a girl. He'll move into my wing if that happens."

The two continued speaking to each other, and Duo's hands curled into tight fists at his sides. He was insulted, but more than that, he was angry and embarrassed and he had a burning urge to do some sort of violence toward the teen. All he could think was that he'd expected the boy to be taller, and that it wasn't fair Heero had recognized him on sight like that. It must have been because he was with Houjun, or because Odin had seen him last night.

Heero was his height and appeared to have a similar build. His hair was the same dark brown his father had, but it was short and wild, thick strands falling in disarray, possibly from his flight. Duo thought he should have recognized the boy's sharp eyes and thick dark eyebrows. True, Heero's eyes weren't quite so narrow or hawkish as his father, but they were close enough.

He was wearing a loose black jacket, and pants, a dark green shirt visible beneath. That might have been what had kept Duo from guessing his identity. He'd imagined Heero would be glittery and gaudy and pompous, just like his father.

Well...he seemed to have the pompous down pretty well. Duo glared at the boy's profile, disliking the fact that he was talking to Houjun like that. Houjun was on his side. And he was the one who'd gotten the top spot, Heero should have been paying attention to him. The boy wasn't just conceited, he was rude, too.

"Kind of annoying, isn't it," Tasuki muttered softly, moving to stand beside Duo. "Chiri gets along with just about everyone, but you'd think he would be a little more discriminating when it comes to that family. At least him, what with you being right here and all."

"Ask me if I care," Duo snorted, glaring at the two of them.

Tasuki's eyes widened, a faint smile breaking over his face. "Chiri said you were sweet. You sure you want to be a positive checker? With a glare like that, you could probably hold your own with the likes of Heero, easy."

Duo winced and did his best to wipe the expression off his face. He was still angry, and he was starting to see why Michael was so set on snubbing the Lowe family. But he didn't want that dark look on his face where others could see it. That wasn't the impression he wanted to give of himself, especially to friends.

"I'm sure I want to be a positive checker," Duo smiled. "For that, I shouldn't worry about anything but flying right now. You said I'd get to go next?"

"Right," Tasuki nodded slowly, his expression just a little doubtful. He wasn't going to forget the boy's glare as quickly as Duo had replaced it with that bright grin. "As soon as Mits is done railing at Sanada, it'll be your turn."

Duo turned to watch the group of angels, his gaze drawn to the boy who'd been the subject of the test. He was almost smaller on the ground, the top of his head just reaching past Yukimura's waist. He certainly didn't look old enough to be entering the academy. And his wings were actually longer than he'd thought. The boy was hopping with impatience a little ways from the three older angels. His steps were combined with light sweeps of his wings, taking him a few feet in the air before he landed and fidgeted up again.

The boy was slender and pale, his hair an odd ivory sheen, not quite white, not cream enough to be blonde, with faint blue highlights. It was what Duo might have described as a bowl cut, thin and curved close to his head, the edges angling inward so they framed his face. His eyes were very wide and young, a pale shade of gold. And he seemed to have permanent frown lines between his narrow eyebrows.

"He's sixteen?" asked Duo.

"Sasuke Sarutobi," Tasuki nodded. "He's like you, fifteen or sixteen, no definite date of birth."

They'd turned their backs on Houjun, so they didn't notice when he and Heero moved over to stand behind them.

"He's from Gridel," said Tasuki. "You probably don't know that name, but-"

"I've heard of it," Duo said quickly. He didn't mention that he'd only heard it that morning from Diedre. "The clan in the Deluvian region."

"Right," Tasuki said, looking a little surprised. "It's pretty rare to actually see one of them outside their forest. The Sanada clan does whatever it can to turn Eden on its ear, so naturally they had to take one of _them_ as a ward. You see the tall guy with them? I think his name is Saizo. He was supposed to be Sanada's partner, but then they took in Sasuke a few years ago. If you ask me, they're both negative checkers. I don't see how Sanada plans to pass himself off as a positive checker.

"But Sasuke's not as strange as you'd think, considering where he comes from. It's the size thing that makes him stand out. They say it's the pollution that stunts the growth of kids born in Gridel. After they hit puberty they just stop growing. The wings, though, those keep growing till they're twenty. That's why most of them never leave the forest, not a one of them can fly. Sanada plans to make Sasuke the first, first checker, too."

"You know a lot about him," Heero remarked. He wasn't the least bit bothered that Tasuki and Duo glared at him when he stepped between them. "That's the first time I've heard you say something useful. You should do that more often."

Tasuki flushed bright red, his left eyebrow twitching furiously, and Houjun hopped over to clap a restraining arm around his partner's shoulders. He winced and whispered in Tasuki's ear, drawing him further from Heero.

Duo started at Heero in something akin to awe. The boy was so rude! And yet...his tone was entirely serious, as if he weren't aware of how insulting his words were. There wasn't a hint of malice on his face, just that sober, almost bored look, and a vague dissatisfaction around his eyes.

Heero met his gaze with a sidelong look that felt as if it pinpointed every single flaw he had. Duo found himself wanting to flush again, or maybe twitch in frustrated anger the way Tasuki had. There was just something very annoying about that cool look on someone his own age. It made him want to turn the tables, make Heero bristle in irritation instead. Duo wondered if that weren't the reason Michael behaved so strangely - to ruffle cool birds like Heero, and stuffy ones like Heero's father. But looking at those piercing eyes, Duo wondered if anything would successfully ruffle the boy. A person would have to be very annoying to manage that.

"Your scores were a fluke," said Heero. "I've seen your answers. There was no consistency at all. That won't carry you at the academy."

"Wh - why?" Duo blurted, "why do you _do_ that? It's like you go out of your way to say the most insulting thing you can think of. Do you do that to everyone, or is it just me?"

Heero frowned, the first real expression to cross his face. "I'm only telling you the truth."

"Well keep it," Duo snapped. "You're not even right. Sure I answered each question differently - they were all different people! Who would expect each one to react the same? You really don't have any imagination, do you."

The dark-haired boy didn't answer, his brows lowering into a somewhat intimidating scowl. Duo took it as a point in his favor and opened his mouth to continue. He was getting an idea on how to irritate the seemingly stoic boy. Heero cut him off by turning his back on him and walking past Houjun and Tasuki.

"Try not to land on your face when you fall," Heero called without glancing back. "It would scar before you can get back to Raphael."

Duo's hands clenched and he jolted after the boy. He wasn't sure exactly what sort of bodily violence he had in mind, but he couldn't stand it. Heero had actually turned his back on him. He hadn't even bothered to look when he'd tossed that last insult. What kind of argument was this?

Houjun caught him before he'd taken more than two steps. "Duo! Mitsukake is ready to watch your flight now..."

Duo stopped in his tracks, thrown by the sudden reminder of why he was out there in the first place. His anger melted away, replaced by shivering nervousness. He didn't even bristle when he saw that Heero had taken a seat on the grass near Yukimura, obviously planning to watch the spectacle. With the prospect of flying for the first time - or falling painfully - he didn't really care about the rude boy who was supposed to be his rival.

Yukimura noticed Duo's stare and waved a hand at him, a wide smile spread across his face. "Good luck! Heero's rooting for you!"

Duo gaped for a long moment. Then Heero raised an eyebrow and looked from Yukimura to Duo. Duo turned his back with a hot blush. Oh, he hated them both.

"Wow," Tasuki murmured, sending Duo a playfully fearful look. "You've got Sanada's attention without saying a word to him. And you even made Heero scowl...! I had to talk his ear off for nearly an hour before he got annoyed enough to walk away. You're pretty good to do it the first time you meet."

Houjun sighed at his partner, shaking his head with a quiet tisking sound.

"Come on, Duo," said Tasuki. "Your audience is waiting. Don't want to disappoint them, right?"

Duo choked a little and sent a disbelieving look at the orange-haired angel. Was Tasuki trying to make him throw up before he even got off the ground?

"I'll take you up," Tasuki continued, unfurling his wings as he spoke. "We'll wait for Mitsukake's signal, but you tell me when you're ready to be dropped. The moment you're free, let your wings out. I'll get out of the way, so you don't have to wait till you've dropped a few feet."

Tasuki bent a little so he could hook an arm around Duo's waist. Then he kicked off with a strong downward thrust of his wings. Duo blanched, his eyes locked on the retreating ground.

He wasn't afraid of heights. Duo was sure he wasn't. But...the only thing holding him up was Tasuki's arm. And he hadn't even tried to get his wings to hold his weight - those exercises the children had been doing out on the field. Didn't he get some sort of practice before he had to fly or fall? Was Mitsukake going to be a net for him and catch him if he fell too fast? What if his muscles were too underdeveloped to hold him and his wings broke?

"Hope you're a good swimmer," Tasuki teased, his head ducked close to Duo's ear. "That lake's a mile deep, easy. I sure wouldn't want to land in it. Of course, I'm a little afraid of water. Good thing you don't have that problem."

If anything, Duo's face went paler, taking on a grayish shade. Water. He shot a look at the ground and stopped breathing altogether. Tasuki was hovering over the lake Duo had spotted at the bottom of that cliff. Compared to the distance the white-haired boy had fallen, Duo was at least twice as high. And Tasuki planned to drop him over the lake?

He wasn't just going to humiliate himself if he failed to fly. He was going to drown...

"There's the signal," said Tasuki. "Just let me know when you're ready to be dropped."

Duo swallowed and forced himself to take a deep enough breath to speak. "I can't swim..."

The words came out as a soft whisper. Tasuki frowned. "What was that? You ready?"

His heart was pounding in his ears. Duo forced his voice to raise in volume. "No! I-"

Hours, perhaps days later, Duo would understand how Tasuki had confused his vehement 'no' for an excited 'go'. At that moment, when he lost all support over a potentially watery grave, he had no sympathy or understanding. One thought flew through his frozen mind. If he lived, he was going to kill him.

Duo closed his eyes, blocking out the absolute panic and horror screaming through his system. He unfurled his wings and clenched his fists at the way the air buffeted him. His stomach lurched, his breaths catching in his throat as if he were already underwater.

He couldn't seem to bring his wings down. All it would take was one thrust, just one downward sweep to break the momentum of his fall. He'd seen the boy do that during his flight, and surely someone his age would have more strength. But he couldn't. He couldn't even get his wings stretched out horizontally. The force of the wind was keeping them straight out behind him.

Everything was going so fast. Duo forced his eyes open, the wind striking blurry tears that weren't quite kind enough to keep him from spotting the sheen of water fast approaching him. He was going to hit it face first. The impact would send a gulp into his lungs and he'd drown before anyone realized he couldn't swim.

That wasn't acceptable. Duo stopped trying to sweep his wings down and focused on changing the angle instead. He felt the pull as his lower feathers spread out to catch the updraft. And the world jolted around him at the same time as a burning sensation lit up beneath his shoulder blades. For one shocking second he thought he'd tip all the way into a genuine backflip. Then he hit the water feet first.

Among the watchers on the edge of the cliff, Heero was the first to comment. He gave a slow frown. "He can't fly, but that last move was different. I've never seen that before."

"No," Yukimura smiled. "He's very flexible."

The two angels behind him slapped their hands over their foreheads, Saizo blushing and Sasuke grumbling under his breath. Heero merely gave a nod of agreement.

Beside Mitsukake, Houjun let out a soft sigh. "How long do we wait?"

"One minute," Mitsukake said, his tone sober. "If he doesn't surface, I'll retrieve him. Don't worry, I've been doing this for years."

"I know..."

The shock of chilly water after all that numbing wind and that last second half flip made for a nasty combination. Even though he entered feet first, Duo had a terrifying thought that 'up' might not actually be up. The only thing he could think of was Raphael's tip to 'go still' and float to the surface. He tried that for all of twenty seconds before his need for oxygen ruled out that option. It wasn't fair.

Not being able to fly on his first try was one thing, nearly drowning was absolutely unacceptable. So maybe his muscles weren't enough to push against an updraft during such a high fall. But this was just water. How much resistance could water really give? He already knew water rolled right off his freakishly mutant feathers. If he had to be different, he might as well use that to his advantage.

Duo ducked his head, his orientation telling him how to angle his wings. Then he set them into motion, powerful downward sweeps that stirred up a strange current around him. He had just enough thought to pull his braid over his shoulder before it could get caught in his feathers.

Raphael had been right about using wings under water. Duo was sure he could have kicked his feet till his ankles went numb and he'd never have risen so quickly. It was almost too quick. The change in pressure made him heady and a little sick to his stomach. None of that mattered when he broke the surface of the lake and took his first breath of air.

The speed of his rise took him up until his wings left the water. Duo imagined he looked as silly as a large fish would, jumping free of the water only to crash back in a few feet later. He glared through dripping bangs and kept his wings moving, determined to fly to land. There was no way he'd wait for someone to realize he couldn't swim.

The tips of his wings slapped against the water with each flap, the sounds poking at Duo's ego like a hateful little needle. He was sure he looked ridiculous, but he absolutely didn't care. He was sick of being humiliated.

It wasn't until Duo reached the grassy lakeside that he let go of that burning anger. He sank down on his knees and shoved his bangs out of his eyes with shaky hands. Anger was nice motivation, but the effort to stay aloft like that made his shoulders burn. So much for getting it right on the first try. And his wings were actually shorter than that boy's were. Did that mean he was especially weak, or that the boy was unnaturally strong? Not that it really mattered.

They were almost assuredly watching him. Duo kept his head ducked and focused on twisting the water out of his thick braid. Now that his anger was spent, he just wanted to go home…

Tasuki flew down to Duo, Houjun setting out his wings so he could follow. Mitsukake was shaking his head beside him.

"He didn't slow his fall at all till that partial turn at the last second," said Mitsukake. "Angling like that would be too dangerous over land. He'd have to get into position at least twenty seconds earlier, or he'd break his legs on the landing. You should advise him to use the gliding method to set his wings. I suspect he was trying to follow Sasuke, but he doesn't have the length difference as a problem. With his arms set, he should be able to work better."

"No comment on the lift-off?" Houjun teased with a sly smile.

Mitsukake sent him a suspicious look. "I can't comment on that. I've never seen anyone lift off underwater. Either water offers less resistance to him, or he was too startled to use his full strength during the fall."

"He has powerful thrust," Heero remarked.

He was disturbed by the display. There had been a lot of rumors and theories regarding the black-winged angel. It was obvious that the boy wasn't grounded, the way the Gridel children were, with their disproportionate wingspans. But that fall had been completely without resistance. If anything, the boy had sped up on the way down. That didn't fit with the maneuvering he'd done right before he hit the water, suggesting that either he'd realized the skill at the last second, or he'd done it by blind luck. The most disturbing was that underwater lift-off. With such powerful downward thrust, he should have been able to stop himself in midair after falling only a yard or so.

Heero didn't know how to place someone who seemed to have potential, but who also seemed unable to use that potential with any consistency. It reminded him of the boy's entrance exam results. Did he really rely entirely on luck?

"What do you think, Heero?" asked Houjun. "Water or land?"

Heero turned away, his tone careless. "Do the next test over land, without a net. He has the strength to stop himself. It's just a matter of making him use it."

"Harsh," Houjun winced. He shook his head at Mitsukake's dark expression. "I'll see to it that he builds his strength before he tries again. Don't worry, I wouldn't let him take a test without a safety net, not this soon. That water lift-off was the first time he's even gone aloft on his own."

Mitsukake flinched, his mouth opening in disbelief. "That's-"

"Dangerous," Houjun nodded, his smile almost too happy to be trusted. "But I have an idea it will give him the motivation to try that much harder from here on out. I'd much rather see him confident in his flight abilities, than too worried to find his true potential."

Duo was sitting with his legs curled, his wings folded over his back so the tips trailed the grass behind him. Tasuki glanced up when Houjun joined them.

"Not bad for his first try, eh?" Tasuki beamed. "Did you see him shoot out of the water? Man, if it weren't water, I'd love to try that."

Houjun tilted his head with a weak smile. "If it weren't water, there'd be nothing to try…"

Tasuki waved the comment away, still intent on conning a response from the damp boy seated in front of him. "I guess you were a good swimmer after all. I refused when they tried to drop me over the lake. Told them I'd rather be a smear on the dirt, than fish food."

"I can't swim," said Duo, his voice dull. "I thought I was going to drown and I panicked. No one told me I'd be dropped over the lake."

His 'flight advisors' shared a startled look, and Duo lowered his gaze. He didn't really blame them for not telling him. It was just that he felt horrible and hearing Tasuki's chipper voice was making him feel worse. "That boy, Sasuke, they didn't drop him over the lake. So I thought it would be the same."

Houjun's face went sober, and he dropped into a light crouch in front of Duo. "The first test is aimed at giving the participant as much time as possible to experience freefall, and to try setting his wings out. They do it over water because it doesn't require a net that way. If you fell that far, whoever tried to catch you would be injured from the force of the impact. I didn't realize you couldn't swim, or I'd have warned you. But you wouldn't have drowned. Mitsukake is trained in resuscitation. No one has ever suffered injury from the water drop."

"Then the land drop comes later?" asked Duo.

"Yes. Once you know how to set your wings out, the land drop is the final test. You have less time, so your focus is on stopping yourself or slowing your fall as much as possible. Sasuke was doing a land drop without a net because he's already learned to set his wings out. We wouldn't start you out with something like that."

Houjun stood and turned to send a slow glance back at the cliff behind them. "Heero left, you know. He's already made up his mind about your potential. If you pass the flight test in the next two days, he'll be shocked when he sees you fly at the academy."

Duo snorted softly, glaring over his shoulder at one of his damp wings. Of course Heero would consider him a failure after that pathetic performance. He'd been flying for years. But…if a kid like Sasuke had already passed the water drop, and he _still_ couldn't actually stop his fall, then maybe failing on his first try wasn't that important.

Duo knew he'd been frozen at the shock of being dropped over water. His reaction was slow, and he'd been completely unprepared for the effort needed to use his wings. That didn't mean he couldn't use them, just that he didn't have experience using them. He'd felt it when he was flying over the water. His wings were strong enough to hold his weight. With more exercise, there was no reason he couldn't get strong enough to catch himself against the wind and gravity as well.

It wasn't like him to give up without trying. This wasn't like his failed attempts at adoption. The only thing his flying depended on was himself.

"What now?" Duo asked, shooting a wan smile at Houjun.

"Mitsukake is working with children at the safety net stage, so they'll be on the field. We can practice down here till your wings are dry. Just general flying, you know we can't do any actual tests without the attendant watching."

"Is it okay to fly, then?" asked Duo. "I thought kids weren't allowed to fly at all without an attendant watching."

"There's a limit," Houjun admitted. "You can't go any higher than twenty-five feet, and you absolutely cannot retract your wings during flight. That would constitute a drop. And you can't fly alone until you've mastered the flight test. Mostly you should work on lift-offs and maneuvering yourself in the air. Once your wings are dry, I'll teach you how to glide. That should help you set your wings out during the drops."

Houjun reached a hand down to pull Duo to his feet. Then he stepped back, waving for Duo to spread his wings out. "Lift-off is different for everyone. Some people find it easiest if they push with their legs and hold their wings arched high. Others depend entirely on thrust, keeping the wings angled high over the shoulder, and out at a low angle behind. If you do that, you'll spread the feathers to give the most surface area against the air beneath you. You can also use your lifeforce, but we'll get to that later."

"Thrust is what you used when you came out of the water," Tasuki put in. "But your wings were really flat. That had to hurt..."

Duo gave a noncommittal shrug and looked away. It had hurt, a tight burning strain on his muscles. But it had given the most power. Having his wings perpendicular to his body let him push straight up. He'd never actually seen an angel do that. His inspiration had come from birds. He hadn't really seen many angels in flight.

Houjun stretched his wings out, holding them up above his shoulders and angled out to each side. "If you use a pose like this, you'll go forward and up, and you won't need to push off with your legs. It takes a little longer to do it manually, but it's the position most people use once they've mastered their lifeforce. Tasuki is the opposite. He tends to enjoy the more strenuous approach, so he pushes off."

Tasuki rolled his eyes and shot Duo a conspiratorial look. "He's just jealous because I can lift-off faster than he can. He doesn't use any more energy than is absolutely necessary. Really boring."

The two angels demonstrated the different methods, hovering overhead for a minute before coming back down. Duo spotted the differences immediately. Houjun's method required more downward strokes and was at a definite forward angle, while Tasuki's was closer to being vertical and looked like it took more physical strength.

"In practice," said Houjun, "angels rarely lift off from a flat standstill position. Most homes are at least two stories, allowing them to fly out from a balcony. That lets them glide, which is the easiest way to fly. In the field, you'll probably find yourself lifting off midrun, in which case your own momentum lets you use the wind to go airborne."

"Now you try," Tasuki grinned. "Do that horizontal thing you did in the water. I bet it's a lot harder when you're standing on the ground. You only had three feet beneath your wings, so if you thrust too hard like that, you'd hit the ground."

"I figured that much," Duo admitted. "I kept hitting the water."

Houjun shook his head, his expression turning worried. "That's because you had your wings stretched down so low they were almost spread out at the middle of your back. It really was painful to look at, Duo. There's no need to hurt yourself."

Duo shook his head, glancing back at his wings as he watched the angles he could form. "If I could keep them high and still have them flat, I wouldn't hit the ground. But…would it be best to have them behind me, or out to the side? I'd think having them behind me would send my body forward, but if I stretch them too high on the sides, they'll hit my shoulders when I sweep them down…"

"Just find what feels comfortable for you," said Houjun. "There aren't any rules on what position is best for each person. The main point is that you don't do anything that feels wrong. If it hurts, it's not worth it."

Duo was reminded of his record of not lying as he bit his tongue and flashed the man a quick smile. His shoulders did hurt, but he thought that was mostly from using muscles that weren't used to being exercised. The actual bending of his wings hadn't hurt – it was the weight his wings had put on his muscles at those angles that hurt. So…technically he was telling the truth if he claimed it didn't hurt to angle his wings oddly. It just hurt trying to fly with them like that.

"If the way I choose to do it looks strange," Duo murmured, "it'll give people more reason to stare at me. But they're going to stare no matter what I do. So…I think I'd like to stick with this horizontal method. It does let me push a lot harder than I could if I had my wings sloping down."

Tasuki shook his head, that grin back on his face as he backed away. "If you're set on it, you better bring them up higher. As hard as you were sweeping them in the water, you really don't want to hit the ground with them."

Duo gave an absent-minded nod. He was arching his wings up over his shoulders and trying to find a way to sweep them straight down without his body interfering. He curved his shoulders forward a little, but he wasn't sure what to do with his arms. A little bit of experimenting, during which time he was oddly unconcerned with having an audience of two, and he found a position he thought would work for him. He was bent forward a bit, his arms raised so his wrists were crossed – he had a sudden idea that Sasuke had done that to clench his muscles, not to protect him from the impact – and his wings were free to sweep as hard as they could.

He had planned to push up with his legs if he had to, but the first sweep took him a foot off the ground. Duo's eyes lit up and he immediately tried it again. Sure enough, it took him higher. If it hadn't been for the limit, Duo was sure he could have gone as high as he wanted just by flapping his wings that way. And it was straight up. With his legs pushing as well, he imagined his lift off would be very high very fast. He didn't know if that would be enough compared to typical fliers, but it brought a smug smile to his face. He needed something to be proud of after that nasty fall.

"That's high enough," Houjun called. "Stretch the feathers out, splay them, and give very soft sweeps. You should drift back to the ground."

Duo tried that and found it required a different sort of strength. The moment he stopped pumping his wings, he dropped a good four feet. Then he overcompensated and rose again. In the end he had to tilt the ends of his wings upward to get a controlled fall. It landed him a ways forward from where he'd started. Obviously he'd have to experiment to find a way to 'drift' vertically.

"You're quick," Tasuki complimented cheerfully. "I bet you'll be good enough to do loops before you even get to that part of the academy course. It's all in how you tilt your wings, you know, and being able to hold them steady. Of course, it's a lot harder to hold them when you're flying fast. But that's a given."

The orange-haired angel jumped back into the air. He rose a few yards and angled his wingtips toward the back of his legs. It took him in a sharp backturn that Duo was sure felt as scary as that flip he'd almost done when he hit the water. Tasuki pulled out of it the moment his body was facing the ground again, by lifting his wings upwards and curving them so they caught the air. Duo was reminded of the larger birds he'd seen, the ones that soared rather than flew.

"Gliding," Houjun murmured. "That's what you'll use in the flight test. It's difficult to do when you don't start with your wings stretched because the wind acts against you. If you can't overcome that and get your wings in position, you can't use the wind to stop your fall. The key is to sneak past your opposition, rather than face it head on."

Duo turned and raised an eyebrow. "Sneak past? How do you sneak past the wind when you're falling right into it?"

Houjun gave a mysterious smile and waved for Tasuki to come back to them. "A demonstration."

"I get to do the honors?" Tasuki asked, his eyes shining with mischief. "You're going to be doing it slowly enough for him to see you, right? Then you better know now, if you fall in that lake, I'm not going in after you."

"I'll remember that," Houjun smiled.

Tasuki bent and lifted Houjun in a seated hold, much different from the straight position he'd used with Duo. Duo understood why when the orange-haired angel took to the air. Tasuki lifted with his legs. Since he and Houjun were the same height, he needed him off the ground when he bent his knees for that push-off.

They rose over the lake, a little less than the height Duo had been at – probably since Duo was the one watching, any higher and he wouldn't have been able to see clearly – and Tasuki changed the hold so Houjun was facing the water. Then he let go.

Duo blinked, remembering how Tasuki had told him to set his wings out immediately and not worry about hitting him. Now that he was the spectator, he saw the way Tasuki flitted back the second he released his hold. Houjun's wings unfurled just as quickly.

Houjun spread his arms straight out to either side, his wings blown back by the wind just as Duo's had been. But the tips were curling.

For a strange moment, Duo wondered if that were physically possible. He flexed his own wings and was startled to find how easily they curved. His eyes were still on the falling angel, so he saw the way Houjun's wings were creeping toward his shoulders. The wind was blowing them back, but with them curving close to the top half themselves, the wind wasn't opposing the movement. Then the tips touched Houjun's shoulders and followed his arms. The angel was buffeted, but his wings kept sliding till they were straight out, braced by his arms. The moment they were in place, Houjun brought his arms to his chest and jerked in the sky.

The wind caught those spread wings and blew him back, jerking him out of the fall and tossing him into a rise instead. Duo barely noticed that he was standing on his toes, his wings shifting to mimic the angle he thought would work best. Sure enough, Houjun brought the tips of his wings upward until he was gliding down the way Duo had earlier.

Duo grinned and ran over to meet him. "Is that how most people do it? Sliding the wings instead of trying to push against the wind?"

"Yes," Houjun smiled. "You were modeling yourself after Sasuke, but he's an oddity among angels. His arms are far too short to let him do what everyone else does. He _has_ to push against the wind. Your wings are actually a little shorter than they might have been, so you should be able slide them into position without getting tossed around much. You'll have to practice, though, so you can do it very quickly. The drop over land is half the distance you just saw. But once you've got the movement down, you can curve your wings and set them out in a matter of seconds. Tasuki will show you that."

The man turned and looked up, Duo following his gaze. Tasuki waved at them, his grin flashing right before he ducked his head. Then he retracted his wings. Duo choked.

This wasn't like being dropped, it was like being clipped in midair. So this was what Raphael had meant when he talked about 'crashlandings'. Tasuki was falling headfirst. For someone who'd admitted a fear of water, he didn't seem to mind facing the lake.

He fell for a few seconds, picking up speed, and unfurled his wings again. Duo was watching closely, but he was still confused for a moment, not sure what he was seeing. Tasuki didn't unfurl his wings straight back. Instead, they were already curling as soon as they appeared. By the time his wings were entirely visible, they were in position. Then he tilted them and broke from the fall with a sharp slicing arc, his right wing catching the wind, spinning him around, and tossing him to the side. He came out of it in a fast gliding pose, already facing toward the bank.

"Show-off," Houjun sighed, shaking his head with a smile.

"The main point of that," he told Duo, "is to show you how quickly an experienced flier can stop a plummet. The spinning is just extra. You wouldn't need to do something like that unless you were chasing a fugitive or being chased by one. A drop can give you more speed than any dive, and if you can come out of it with even more speed – from the spin – you can pump your wings to increase the force and go faster than any mere glider could. You won't have to worry about things like that till the advanced course. The most important thing to know as a flier is how to get the most out of the smallest effort – gliding first. You can add what you like after you've mastered the art of using the wind."

"I get it," Duo beamed. "I didn't even think of trying to use the wind, or sneak past it. Can I try the drop test again? I'm sure I can set my wings out this time. Then I can take a land test and-"

"Easy there," Tasuki laughed, having landed in time to hear the boy's enthusiasm. "Mits is filled up today. You'll get another chance tomorrow."

"Besides that," said Houjun, "you've never used your wings before. Your muscles must be burning. You don't want to tear them by pushing yourself too much."

Duo scowled and looked away. So much for hiding it. But they didn't hurt that bad, really. It actually didn't burn as much as it had earlier. That practice lift off had hardly burned at all.

"It's not that bad," Duo said hopefully. "And Mira told me to work my muscles. She actually said, if it hurts, it's a good thing."

The boy was beaming at them, wide blue-violet eyes bright. Houjun gave a sad sigh and looked over at Tasuki.

"You really shouldn't believe everything you're told," Tasuki grimaced, scuffing a boot in the grass. "Especially if you hear it from one of my sisters. Mira's a quack. She just likes seeing guys in pain, that's all."

Duo's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. "S-sister?"

"Yeah," Tasuki grumbled. "I have a lot of them. They're all evil things. You can usually pick them out – not many angels with red hair, right? But Mira, she's one of the worst…"

"But…still," Duo huffed, "even Raphael said I'd need to exercise my wings. I haven't really done much today. I can-"

"Tell you what," Tasuki interrupted, his eyes glinting in an oddly dangerous way. "If you can lift off the ground, I'll ask Mits about letting you test again today."

Duo almost scoffed at that challenge, ready to blurt that of course he could lift off the ground. Then Tasuki stepped to him and put his hands on his shoulders. Duo blinked in confusion.

"Go ahead," Tasuki taunted, a sly smirk curving his lips. "Lift-off. I'm just holding your shoulders, it's not like I'm making you carry me."

Duo glared and set his wings out, his anger making the feathers fluff audibly. He gritted his teeth and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Tasuki's hold shifted so he could bend his shoulders inward. Then he pushed against the ground, adding his legs to the downward thrust of his wings.

He managed to get a few inches off the ground before Tasuki tugged him back to earth as if he weighed nothing at all. And as much as Duo hated to admit it, he'd used his full strength. He knew he had, because his shoulders burned terribly.

"I give up," Duo grumbled, glaring at his feet.

"Of course you do," Tasuki taunted, flashing a smug smirk. "It was a trick to begin with. Unless you were holding me close to your center of gravity, you'll never get off the ground. Your wings will lift you off your feet, but you'll just tip forward into the person holding you down. Raphael would never let Chiri hear the end of it if you got hurt your first day of flying. So you'll just have to be patient."

"You tricked me?" Duo blurted.

"For good reason," Houjun said kindly, wincing a bit when Duo shot him a light glare. "We need to get back to the manor so you can change. Then I'm going to drop you off at a class. There are other things to learn besides flying. While your muscles recover, you can learn about using your lifeforce."

"We can't help you with that," Tasuki admitted. "Illegal and all, for checkers at our level to use our force on a lower level."

"It's mostly used to travel in space," said Houjun, "but you can also use it for defense in extreme situations. You'll be starting at the same level as the other students, so you have an even field with this. The class this afternoon is the first one of the year. It's like tutoring, it meets every few days, usually twice a week during the academy. Attending that will guarantee you don't miss out on any extra training the other students receive."

"Except Sanada," Tasuki smirked. "Did you see him toss Mits back like an old rag? That's lifeforce. He's nineteen, so he's been using his for years. You can get away with that sort of thing when your clan is the best the military has to offer."

"Are we tested on using our lifeforce the way we are on flying?" asked Duo.

"Only to the point where you can travel in space," said Houjun. "The rest is like the advanced flying course – you don't have to excel at it, it just makes you look better if you do."

"I guess I should go to this class, then…"

"Just think," Tasuki smirked, "you'll get to meet more of your classmates. It's better to know them before you start the academy – know who to avoid, especially."

Duo gave a slow nod, just so he wouldn't have to respond verbally. Meeting more of his classmates? If he had to introduce himself, that would give them two days to start talking about him. By the time the academy started, they'd all know him on sight. Sure, it would be nice to know who to avoid, but he wouldn't need to know that if all of his classmates were avoiding him to begin with.

He wondered if Heero would be there. He doubted it. No, he hoped not. The last thing Duo wanted was to be stuck in a small room with a boy who managed to insult someone with every word out of his conceited mouth. Maybe he didn't do it on purpose, maybe. He still had a serious attitude problem.

**-.-.-  
****TBC**

_Next part, the most powerful family on Eden, Heero and Zechs face off._


	4. Class Mates and Classmates

**Author's Note: **Those worried about all the crossover characters here, don't be. I've managed to slip almost all the GW characters into the second half of this part, so the introductions should be about done. The seemingly random discussions Duo has with the 'side' characters are all important, whether they're foreshadowing things that will affect him directly later, or establishing the 'soap-opera' slash 'royal-snobbery' of Eden society. It's a colorful world, and I'd much rather introduce it through character interaction than extensive monologue-type 'thought' on Duo's part.

_Category:_ Anime, Yaoi, Gundam Wing, fusion with Earthian, AU  
_Minor Anime:_ Fushigi Yuugi, Samurai Deeper Kyo  
**_Warnings:_** dialogue, shonen ai  
_Pairings:_ 1x2, 3x4, RaphaelxMichael  
_Minor pairs: _Tasuki-Chichiri, Yukimura-Sasuke  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Fallen**

_Part 4: Class Mates and Classmates_

Michael was in the yard when they got back to the manor, surprising Duo with his unkempt appearance. The archangel's blonde hair was pulled back in a loose tail, tendrils curling around his dirt-smudged face. His clothing, a cheerful blue-green tunic that would have been appropriate for any banquet, was dusty with the sleeves rolled unevenly to his elbows. He was weeding the flowerbed the horses had been nibbling at earlier.

Tasuki had the good sense to steer the animals clear of that grazing spot, waving them over to the edge of the forest instead. And Duo approached Michael with what he hoped wasn't a timid expression on his face. He didn't know what to make of the wide eyes Michael turned on them.

"It's bad manners to lower yourself to menial tasks," Houjun said in a lecturing tone, his eye sparkling merrily. "You'll get yourself in trouble if Raphael catches you."

Michael sniffed carelessly, and then ruined the effect by sending a worried glance at the door of the manor. "Don't be ridiculous. If Tasuki can spend his free time grooming his horses, I don't see why I can't tend to my flowers."

"Big difference there," Tasuki said with a smirk. "I don't care if he hates me."

Houjun winced, turning a sad look at his partner. "Raphael doesn't hate you, Tasuki…"

"Yes he does," Michael said cheerfully. He tucked a bit of hair behind his ear, adding another smudge to his cheek. "I take it you three had a good trip? How was the flight, Duo?"

Duo stiffened at the three looks and resisted an urge to scuff his foot in the grass. "Okay, I guess. I didn't pass, but I'm going to try again tomorrow."

"Duo needs to change for the energy class," Houjun said to Michael. "Tasuki can tell you about the flight test while I get him ready. We need to leave in a few minutes."

Michael nodded and waved them off, his attention already latched onto the orange-haired angel. "Sit, sit. I have it on good authority that your nemesis isn't coming over till this evening. No need to lurk in the shadows."

"Lurking's fun," Tasuki smirked, dropping down to sit crosslegged beside the archangel. "You know you'd get a kick out of being caught looking like that, even if you did have to suffer a lecture because of it. That's half the fun of sneaking around – the chance of getting caught."

Duo watched the two from over his shoulder, taken by the amiable way they were chatting. Houjun reminded him of the task at hand by giving him a light prod on the shoulder.

"They'll be fine," said Houjun. "It's only the opposite checkers who clash on instinct."

"But the two of you don't clash," Duo frowned. "I know you said you switched, but you don't seem negative at all."

"That's because you're not a positive checker."

Duo jerked to a halt, his eyes sharp and suspicious. Houjun winced away with a weak smile.

"Not that you're negative," Houjun said quickly. "It's just that you're not settled in your field. You've never partnered with anyone, so you haven't grown accustomed to looking at things a single, limited way. I'm more versatile than you might think, watching me with Tasuki. In the actual field, I can be very strict and exacting. Or, if Tasuki is in one his morbid moods, I can be as playful as he is on a good day. My behavior depends on my partner. I suspect you'll be the same, wavering between extremes and leaning toward the aspect you _choose_ to portray – rather than some instinctive nature you can't change."

Houjun had started walking again, Duo keeping pace beside him and noting how sober he looked without his seemingly typical smile. He could imagine he saw Raphael in the angel's profile, even though he knew the two men shared no blood. They had that same expression of not being happy – not angry or upset, just not happy. Then they reached Duo's room, and that expression disappeared, replaced by an almost mischievous smile.

"If you're set on being a positive checker," said Houjun, "you should have no trouble assuming the role. Raphael likes you. You're the only positive checker aside from Michael and myself that I've ever heard him admit to liking. That you can get along with both him and Tasuki, two extreme opposites, shows you'll do well finding a partner. Don't get worked up over stereotypes. We like to exaggerate our differences, but even strict types like Heero can be playful in the right circumstances."

Duo snorted a little, choking back a laugh. "Him? Playful? I can't see it."

Houjun shrugged lightly and walked over to open Duo's closet. He immediately wrinkled his nose at the disorganized pack of colors and cloths. "Muriel must be busy getting your uniforms settled. She hasn't even color-coded this…"

The angel started pulling various outfits, all dark blue in color and moderate in design. Duo blinked wide eyes at him. He edged off to the side so Houjun could toss the clothes in a pile on the bed.

"She had someone take my measurements," said Duo. "But I don't think anything's come in yet. That's what she found in my size last night."

"Your size?"

Houjun smirked and held up a bright lavender robe. "More like your shades – half these clothes aren't appropriate for boys, Duo. You'd better watch what she picks out for you. Ribbons are lovely, but if she tries to get you in anything without legs, make sure Birdie checks it over before anyone else sees you. Knowing Michael, he'd let you go out in a dress just for the fun of watching people's reactions. Muriel means well, but you'll want to take charge of your wardrobe as soon as you can. Fashion has changed a lot since Michael was a boy, and she's had trouble keeping up with that. Ceremonial robes are distinguished according to gender now. Anything with a bodice like this-" he waved at the sloping 'v' neck and high waist of the robe, "is a woman's garment."

"Got it," Duo blurted, his cheeks burning with a hot blush since he'd almost worn that very robe to bed last night. "I'll remember that."

"I'll stop by this evening and help you root through this," Houjun promised. "Right now, I need to get you over to Tasuki's before his cousin leaves for the class. You'll be riding over with him. They don't let one-eyed angels drive, you know."

That last bit was given with a flippant smile as Houjun ducked back into the closet. Duo stared in surprise. As much time as he'd spent with the angel that day, and the night before, he hadn't really thought about Houjun's scar. When they'd walked together, he'd been on the man's right side. And even when they were facing each other, Houjun's head was usually tilted enough for his bangs to hide his left eye.

"Could Raphael heal that?" Duo asked quietly. "Your scar?"

Houjun jolted, dropping an outfit and ducking down to retrieve it again. He had a pained look on his face when he turned to set the clothing on the bed. He pointedly shut the bedroom door before responding.

"You shouldn't refer to that so openly," said Houjun. "But since you asked, yes, he could heal it. By opening the wound again and letting it seal as a fresh injury, he could. He and another friend of mine have both offered to heal it for me. I declined."

Duo winced in discomfort, doing his best not to look away from Houjun's piercing gaze. The angel tilted his head after a moment and Duo nearly sighed in relief.

"My father didn't ask you to bring that up," Houjun said slowly, his words a statement rather than a question. "I'm sorry, Duo. I didn't mean to snap at you. This scar is important to me. I keep it covered so it won't upset other people, but I'm not going to heal it just to satisfy someone else's sympathy. Here. I'll wait for you outside."

The man handed him a dark outfit and left him, shutting the door again behind him. Duo grimaced, biting back a need to curse or kick something. He barely looked at the clothes as he changed into them.

He was getting himself involved in some family dispute, worse than the issue with Heero, since this really had nothing to do with him. No matter how much he liked being on Raphael's good side, he detested the thought of being pitted against Houjun. And honestly, he still didn't have enough information to even know what the issue was. All he knew was that Raphael felt his son has switched sides for 'the wrong reasons', and that he was using Duo as an excuse to keep Houjun on Eden. He didn't know what those reasons were, or why he'd need or want an excuse to keep a checker from doing his work.

It wasn't until Duo moved to fix his hair that he really noticed what he'd put on. His eyes trailed the full-length mirror that sat on the back of the closet door.

The outfit was layered comfortably, a tight vermilion shirt just visible beneath the black vest that closed in a low 'x' over his chest. The outside tunic was black, trimmed in a similar red shade on the edges and closed with a silver catch so that it hid the bottom half of his vest, hanging loose until it caught at his waist. The ends trailed in an open 'skirt' that reminded him of Tasuki's outfit, except it was loose enough that he thought it would ghost his hips when he walked. The pants were the worst, snug enough to make him want to flush or grimace, and making his legs seem to have far more curves than they should have considering he was slender for his age.

A quick tap on the door warned him, Houjun peeking in after a moment of silence. Duo promptly scowled at the man.

"Are these pants tight enough?" Duo blurted.

"I hope so," Houjun said slowly. "If they're any tighter, you won't be able to sit down…"

"That's not what I meant," said Duo. "They look…that is…"

He grimaced at his reflection, blushing a little at the sight of his almost provocative appearance – from that bold red neckline to those formfitting pants.

"I don't like it," Duo said stubbornly.

Houjun smiled and stepped over to sweep Duo's hair back into a loose tail behind his head. "You have only one chance to make a first impression. That outfit is actually less bold than what teenagers prefer these days, but it's far more elegant than what a timid or low class person would wear. It's the perfect mix of confidence and reserve. It's also the closest thing in your closet to the academy uniform."

Duo blinked as he had a sudden image of Heero or Sanada wearing the outfit instead of him. Despite himself, he imagined Heero would look much more at ease in it. Sanada…he couldn't imagine the teen in anything black after seeing his oddly stylish outfit at the test flight. It was the thought of the little white-haired boy – Sasuke – that made Duo's lips twitch. If they really did have a uniform like this outfit, then there would be quite a few odd-looking students at the academy.

"Is the uniform mandatory?" asked Duo.

"You're allowed a little variation," said Houjun. "The coloring is limited, and you do have to keep the same material and number of articles, as well as the standard outline. Accessories and style depend on the family. They do it so everyone – from labor class to archangel – has access to the same uniforms. How they modify them is left up to the individual."

Duo didn't say anything to that, his gaze drawn to the mirror. Houjun had tied his hair off for him in a loose tail that trailed down his back in waves from where it had dried in his braid earlier. He winced over his shoulder and flicked the edge of that tail.

"Wouldn't it be better to get it out of the way?" asked Duo.

"You won't be doing anything physical," Houjun explained. "It's lucky the lake is so clean that you don't have to wash it. Since it's already dry, you can have it back without hiding it in a braid. You may not realize it, but there are actually few boys with hair as long as yours is. It used to be they'd mask their appearance on earth without actually cutting their hair, but it's gotten typical to take the easy route and simply crop it off. As casual as you look with a braid, you can keep yours long without worrying about that."

He stepped back with a conspiratorial smirk. "It's something to show off without being conceited. After all, it's not _your_ fault you have naturally beautiful hair and other students don't."

With a helpless blush for the compliment, Duo grinned wryly. "That sounds like something Michael would say."

"Great minds," Houjun beamed. "Now then, I brought shoes for you. And if you're ready?"

Duo ducked to pull on the shoes Houjun handed him, his brows drawing into a frown. They were heavy and odd, almost as tall as Tasuki's boots and reaching up to hug his calves. But they were made of a slick black material he couldn't place.

"What sort of shoes are these?"

"Earthian shoes," said Houjun. "Standard issue at the academy. You want to get used to wearing them early so you don't get blisters when you leave as a checker. Unlike the uniforms, you have free choice of footwear so long as it's Earthian issue. They do have sandals there, but only in select regions or during certain seasons. Shoes are worn in most of the 'civilized' countries. It has to do with their globalization and international superstores."

"Superstores…?"

Houjun let out a quick laugh and patted Duo on the head, not minding the boy's flustered glower. "There are some things you won't read in textbooks. You'll have to wait till you go to Earth and see for yourself."

He led the way out of the room, Duo following with tentative steps in the foreign footwear. They found Tasuki huddled by Michael just outside the back door, his wide golden-orange eyes locked on a little cluster of white flowers Michael was holding. He flushed and wiped his hands on his pants when he caught sight of them.

"About time," Tasuki huffed, making a show of how impatient he was. "I was about ready to start eating Michael's flowers."

Michael beamed at Duo, his eyes doing a slow appraising sweep and coming up pleased. "It's worth a few flowers lost to your stomach, to see Duo looking so distinguished. Chiri, your fashion sense has certainly improved since your own academy days. I was half afraid you'd dress him in pink and white spots."

Duo shot a wary look over at Houjun. He was a little reassured to see that the older angel sported a faint blush.

"I was ten when that happened," Houjun said, a tight smile pulling at his face. "I never wore anything like that at the academy, if you'll remember."

Tasuki clapped a hand on Duo's shoulder, winking at the boy and tossing his head in Houjun's direction. "They got a picture of it, if you ask Birdie about it. He was all decked out in a little girl's dress, complete with pink flowers in his hair and a bow around his neck. I swear, one flash of that picture, and Chiri'll blush redder than Mira's hair."

The angel in question was wearing a rather put-out look on his face, his right eyebrow twitching. Duo gave a weak smile.

"We really have to be going now," said Houjun. "Duo, you can ride with me."

"You don't need to double up," Tasuki protested. "I can fly."

"That's quite all right," Houjun said with a pleasant smile. "Duo isn't dressed for the saddle, anyway."

A glower snapped over to Duo, who blinked in surprise at the normally cheerful redhead. He shot a quick look between Houjun and Tasuki. The former had coaxed the gray horse to him and was holding a hand out to Duo. With a wary eye on Tasuki, Duo crossed over to Houjun. The older angel pulled him up in front of him and wheeled the horse off without a word in parting to Michael. Duo barely heard the startled grumbles as Tasuki hurried to follow with the black horse.

They rounded the house and took the right path that ran adjacent to the road. It was a patchy dirt path, packed down from vehicles parking off the main road, rather than random riders or walkers. Duo found himself blushing within a minute of the ride, after the first car drove past on their left.

He agreed that his pants were a little tight to be sitting astride a horse, but sitting sideways on Houjun's lap, even with his back to the road, was very embarrassing. Not to mention that Tasuki was riding alongside them and sending him pointed scowls every time he glanced over at the man. Then Houjun leaned forward to speak into his ear and Tasuki spurred his horse on ahead with a loud mutter in some Earthian language Duo wasn't familiar with.

"By the way," Houjun said in a conversational tone, "I'd like you to call me Chichiri, Duo, at least when we're around Tasuki's family. They don't know me as anything else. Also, some of Tasuki's sisters refer to him by his real name, Genrou. He doesn't like to be called that, so don't mimic them unless you want to get on his bad side."

Duo raised an eyebrow, his gaze directed on the retreating rider ahead of them. "I think I'm already on his bad side."

"Possessive, isn't he?" Chichiri beamed. "You should see him when someone tries to share his food."

A tickling set up in Duo's throat and emerged as a quiet laugh. "Are all checker pairs possessive?"

"Protective. Partners keep each other safe from strangers on Earth. Here, it comes out as possessiveness in extreme cases. Tasuki's extreme in everything he does. It's sweet, and very easy to exploit when he brings up distasteful subjects."

They broke from the path, Duo leaning forward as the horse slowed for a surprisingly steep climb up the grassy hill to the side of them.

He was still smiling at the idea of having a possessive partner he could tease regularly, or the even more laughable idea of himself being possessive toward someone else. He had a difficult time just imaging a partner who'd want him. This little daydream was much harder to picture. That didn't stop it from being amusing.

Tasuki was waiting for them on the hill. He wheeled his horse once they reached him, riding alongside without a hint of those previous glowers. Now his eyes were bright and a tad wary as they swept the field. It made Duo nervous. He also took to looking around them.

The hill gave way to a grassy field that stretched out a few yards before striking a tall fence that was topped with what appeared to be metallic wires. There was a nine foot tall gate open off to the side, so the reason for the fence couldn't have been to keep random things in or out. Beyond that was a sprawling set of gray buildings – stables, if Duo's guess was accurate – with a large white house on either side. He could just pick out the shadows of a forest behind the structures.

"Tasuki's family is in the left house," said Chichiri. "His is the side family. Both households united years ago to support the animals they raise. It's a unique profession that works best with multiple generations on hand to help."

Duo gave a quick nod, his gaze locked on the circular arena that stood near the right house. There was a creature in there that he'd only seen a tiny picture of in the textbooks he'd read. Even from a distance, he could see it was so large sneaking it away from Earth had to have taken at least two checker pairs. Animals were taken as infants, but something that big…even a baby would be as heavy as a full-grown horse.

"It's an elephant," Duo breathed.

"You know it?" asked Tasuki, his eyes bright above a wide smile. "We brought her over two years ago. It took six angels to get her here, but we had to have an adult. The Winners picked up a male for us back when we built the place. He started acting up so…well, we had to get him a mate before he tore down the fence. Kept breaking right out of his yard, every night. And the noise he made… He's much better now that she's here."

"Is that Catherine?" asked Chichiri, his gaze on the small figure near the pen.

Duo tore his eyes away from the huge gray animal, disappointed that he couldn't hear the noise he'd read elephants made through those cylindrical trunks of theirs. There was a redhaired woman leaning against the pen, her arm raised and waving at them.

The hair color reminded Duo of what Tasuki had said about redhaired angels being rare. He shot a look at him, surprised to see a wide smile instead of the wary look he'd gotten when he spoke of Mira.

"A sister of yours?" asked Duo.

Tasuki's eyes widened comically, and he broke into laughter. "No! No, and don't you ever let Cathy hear you say that. She's one of my cousins. Her father's a Barton – there aren't many girls on that side, but the few of them are _much_ nicer than my sisters, not to mention prettier, and smarter, and less evil, and-"

"Hello, Catherine," Chichiri greeted, pulling his horse up short of the girl in question.

Duo found himself staring into bright and direct eyes.

The girl was tall and willowy, her rich red hair cropped in a short jaunty cut that framed her face and accented her shoulders. She was wearing a shockingly immodest outfit, a rusty brown sleeveless vest that barely concealed her breasts and showed a fair amount of her pale stomach, and a very short skirt that flared over shapely thighs. Duo blanched, and then flushed in embarrassment for having looked in the first place. The girl didn't seem to notice, or if she did notice, she was used to it and didn't mind.

"Hi, Chiri. Did you have a good trip? I was just practicing my routine. What do you think of my new outfit? Is it wild enough to drop jaws at the Glamoura?"

Chichiri helped Duo slide to the ground and hopped down with a wide grin. "You'll do more than drop jaws in that, Catherine. You'll have them raising the age limit for the show. I'm surprised Trowa would even let you outside wearing that."

"He hasn't seen it yet," the girl winked. "I don't plan to show him till the actual performance, so he won't have a chance to complain."

Tasuki jumped to the ground at that, not minding the horses. The two animals pawed the ground a little before turning and docilely walking off toward the closest building.

"Where is Trowa?" asked Tasuki, his eyes wide. "I thought you said he'd take Duo to the class!"

"Calm down," the girl frowned. She set her shoulders back and flashed Duo a bright smile. "Hello, there. I'm Tasuki's cousin, Cathy Barton."

"Duo."

"Like the loudmouth here said," she jerked her head at Tasuki, "my brother was supposed to take you to the class. But he went in a little early. I'll drive you over there. He'll drop you off at your house after it's over."

"You can't take him wearing _that_," Tasuki blurted, his face twisted in disgust. "You look like an Earthian prostitute!"

Catherine shot him a sharp look and arched an eyebrow. "An Earthian _what_?"

"Nothing!" said Chichiri. "It's nothing, really. Just a showgirl. I've seen a lot of shows on Earth if you want help glittering up your outfit. Some sparkles on your arms, and maybe a pretty mesh over your legs would really catch the eye during your performance."

The girl's eyes lit up, and Duo sidled over to Tasuki. They stood back, watching Catherine listen to Chichiri with a bright eager smile.

"What's a prostitute?" Duo asked Tasuki quietly.

"You're too young to know," Tasuki grumbled, just as quietly. "Let's just hope Chiri can get her to cover some of that skin, or Trowa'll throw a fit and cancel the entire show."

"What kind of show is it?"

Tasuki shook his head, his expression still locked distastefully on Catherine's outfit. "It's like an Earthian circus, performing with exotic animals – the elephant for one. You'd have to see it to really know what the shows are like. Michael's been coming regularly since Chiri and I partnered, so you'll probably get to go to the Glamoura for the next one. I don't usually take part in this stuff, but since Chiri's staying on Eden for a while, they roped me into it. I do get to play with fire, so it shouldn't be all bad…"

Duo gave an uncertain nod, his eyes wide and doubtful. "Sounds fun."

"I guess…"

Catherine bounced over to Duo, her face flushed from whatever ideas Chichiri had given her. "Let me run and throw a cloak over this, and I'll drive you to your class. It doesn't start for at least an hour, so you should be early enough to meet up with Trowa before the rest of the students get there."

And run she did, so fast that all three of them turned away to keep from seeing her backside when her short skirt flared up behind her. Tasuki made mottled gagging sounds, while Chichiri cleared his throat with a weak smile. Duo blushed.

"Bold, isn't she?" Duo murmured.

"She likes attention," Chichiri said kindly. "She's at her best when an audience is watching her with bated breath. A born performer."

"With no concept of modesty," put in Tasuki. "You get her to fix that outfit, Chiri, or I'm showing it to Trowa. No way am I going on a stage with her wearing something like that."

Chichiri blinked in surprise. "I didn't know you were a prude…"

"You're calling _me_ a prude?" asked Tasuki. "The guy who blushes if he has to take his shirt off?"

Duo smirked at the embarrassed flush that struck out on Chichiri's face. Inside he sympathized, given his own penchant to blush in embarrassment any time he had to show skin. The very idea brought Mira's 'examination' to mind. His smirk turned into a pained and slightly fearful wince.

The girl was back in a matter of minutes, a long tan cloak billowing around her as she ran to meet them. She halted with a bright smile for Chichiri and waved a jingling set of keys at Duo.

"I got my dad's car," said Catherine. "We better get going before he finds out!"

She latched onto Duo's arm and drug him into a quick jog across the yard. He had a fleeting glimpse of Chichiri and Tasuki standing where they'd left them. Then Catherine tugged him into an open garage and fairly shoved him at the car parked there. It was a bright cherry red sportscar, the sort that had been modeled after an old Earthian vehicle – though it didn't run on the same sort of propulsion and was made entirely of Eden materials rather than imported metals.

Duo climbed in with a pained look for the girl's seemingly rabid enthusiasm. She'd jumped right over the door and into the convertible, and if her gleaming grin said anything, she couldn't wait to get the thing roaring. Duo gave a fervent prayer that the evening wouldn't find them upside down on the side of the road somewhere. Then she gunned the engine and they shot out of the garage.

Once they were safely on the road, Catherine settled in her seat and glanced over at Duo's stricken expression.

"I love this car," she smiled. "Dad almost never lets me drive it, seems to think it's too wild for a woman to handle. He's a little naïve like that."

"R-right," Duo blurted.

He did his best not to let her see how tense he was. His experience in vehicles was limited to the single orphanage car – with its top speed of thirty miles per hour – and that one limousine trip. Catherine had the needle buried at a triple digit number that made the wind howl past the windshield. It pulled Duo's hair so hard he was sure his tail was flailing straight out behind him over the back of the car.

"I'm really sorry Trowa went ahead without you," Catherine continued. "I forgot he promised to get there early today. I didn't think to ask him before I told Chiri that you could ride over with him. But the class isn't far. They're holding it at the old Winner estate."

"Winner?" asked Duo. "The same family that got the elephant for you?"

"Right," Catherine smiled, looking at him in surprise. "They used to be the second most important family on Eden, before Raphael and Michael's family surpassed them. Since then, the Winners have merged with the Peacecraft family. A very good move for both. Since the Winner family has a history of lots of female children, you can bet the Peacecrafts will be holding the top rank in Eden for a long, long time."

Duo nodded, his mind caught on the family names. He'd heard of the Peacecraft family, the archangel line that had been heading Eden for as long as angels had been visiting Earth. He wasn't surprised to hear that the family would partner with a side family known for prolific childbirth. That was the typical reason for such unions, after all. What surprised him was that the side family had kept its name.

Usually side families gave up the surname in favor of the main family. Duo could see that in the fact that Tasuki hadn't given a last name, since his was a side family, and Catherine had, hers being the main family. He supposed it was possible the Winner family kept their surname for the sake of history, since they had been rather well respected before the merger.

Raphael and Michael were closer to equals. They'd both dropped their last names, to show that neither family was main or side – just one large family. But a ruling family like the Peacecrafts probably wouldn't drop their name, no matter who they merged with. So it was just as well that the Winner family not drop theirs either.

"We were almost united, you know," Catherine was saying. "Our family and the Winners, I mean. If they hadn't united with the Peacecrafts, we would have been part of the third family on Eden – possibly rivals to Raphael and Michael since we'd have a lot more children combined. Leave it to the Peacecrafts to snap up every family they can. Would you believe they actually had the nerve to invite our family as a removed side? Not even an official side, just another source of heads they can count as their own. My grandfather stopped that in its tracks. He said we'd sooner unite with the Yuy-Lowe family, than we'd stoop to being cattle for the Peacecrafts."

Duo turned confused eyes on her, not bothering to hide his disgruntled expression. "You mean your family could have been part of the Lowe family? Hou – er…Chichiri...partnered with two people who could have been members of the same family?"

"Heard about him, did you?" Catherine sighed. "Yeah, it's not surprising he'd look for a new partner in our family. But we weren't going to unite with the Lowes, it was the Yuys we were interested in. They're the side family to the Lowes. They used to be an isolated military clan, before the Lowe family snapped them up. Once that happened, we decided to just settle back and stick to ourselves. Big families like that are parasites. We'd sooner pick a clan than a family."

"A clan," Duo repeated, his brows drawing close. "But…isn't the point of a clan that they don't stick with a single family? That they marry randomly without making contracts?"

"Right," said Catherine. "But they do play favorites. We've had our eye on the Sanada clan for a while, and no matter what they claim about being self contained, they tend to pick a family and trade wives. They just don't bother to count heads or worry about status. That's what makes them attractive."

"So you can branch out without having to merge."

Catherine beamed. "Exactly. But I'm not too worried about that, myself. I'm only nineteen. I won't marry till I'm at least forty. No sense cutting my life in half before I've had a chance to live it. So far the only man I'd have a baby for is Chiri, and he's not required to marry."

Duo's face heated at the suggestion. He shook his head till his cheeks cooled enough for him to frown at the girl. "He mentioned that to me, that he didn't have a reason to marry. Can't he have children?"

"Sure he _can_," Catherine sniffed. "But Population Control doesn't want him to. He's Raphael's son, so technically any children he had would be legitimate heirs. But his blood father was still a Lucifer. Odin Lowe actually had the nerve to suggest blood descendants of Lucifers be sterilized. Of course, he knew it wouldn't get passed, between Michael's say on standard laws, and our already low birthrates. He just proposed it to be spiteful. Did I mention how much I hate him?"

"You didn't," said Duo, "but I can see why you would. He'd really go that far, just because his brother married someone under his station?"

"Odin Lowe is despicable. I don't have any sympathy for Hiko, or Kouran, for that matter, but Hiko's first child was supposed to inherit the family. Odin had hopes to marry his younger brother to one of the Peacecrafts. Now the only chance he has left is Heero, and I really don't see that happening. The Peacecrafts approved of Hiko marrying into their family, it was all arranged and signed. I don't think they'll ever get over the insult of him breaking the engagement like that, especially considering who he married."

She sent Duo a taunting look, her lips curved in a taunting smirk. "I bet they'd sooner marry Relena off to Michael's heir, than they would to Heero."

Duo choked and broke into a quiet coughing fit. He leaned closer to the door of the car so he could send the girl a suspicious and guarded look. "You _do_ know who I am, don't you…? I thought Tasuki or Chichiri would have told you."

"What?" asked Catherine. "You mean your wings? Sure, I know. Everyone knows by now. Why should I care about that? So your wings aren't white – Chiri's permanently blind in one eye, Tasuki's on probation for letting his old partner get spotted three times on Earth during their first week there, and I was engaged to a Sanada who turned Lucifer two months before we were supposed to be married. We're all freaks, if you ask me. At least you have Michael's status going for you."

Duo stared at the girl, not sure which to comment on first. "You were engaged to a Sanada…? And he turned Lucifer? I thought they were a respected clan. The way Tasuki talked about that Yukimura guy, I thought-"

"He wasn't _really_ a Sanada," Catherine shrugged. "He was one of their wards, so his deflection didn't hurt the clan's status any. It wasn't much of an engagement, though. I never actually met him before he disappeared for Earth. I'm just saying half the people I know have something that makes them outcasts. We just don't let things like that get to us. People think my fiancé turned into a Lucifer to avoid marrying me? Fine. That just means I won't be pressured to start having children any time soon. Works out in my favor."

"I…didn't think of it like that," said Duo.

Catherine beamed over at him. "You should look on the bright side more."

With a nod for that advice, Duo let his gaze shift to the scenery.

He'd spotted a labor district a few minutes ago on Catherine's side of the road. They'd been going so fast he hadn't seen more than the stark wrought iron gates of the turn-off. Now he looked over his shoulder to watch the forest on the right side of the road. He could almost pick out patches where workers had harvested the trees. The floating factories hovering along the skyline were easier to see, with their hazy sheen of heat against the blue. There were probably orchards past the woodlands, and a patchwork spread of farmland.

He hadn't realized archangels separated themselves by labor districts. Now he imagined it was intentionally done to keep them from butting heads on a regular basis. As much contention as there was over marital issues, he didn't want to think how much petty squabbling would result from daily interaction. He wondered idly if the military clans were also separated that way. From what little he'd read about them, they had weekly meetings between the heads. If they were spread out as much as archangels were, that would be a lot of traveling.

Duo glanced back at Catherine and was startled to find her watching him with darting looks. She'd split her attention between the road and him.

"What is it?" asked Duo.

"I was just wondering what family Michael will marry you into," Catherine admitted. "So far he and Raphael have set a standard of refusing all offers, picking wives from lower class families. I'm curious what Michael has in mind since they don't have any wards young enough to marry to you. Have you been tested for fertility yet?"

Heat swamped over Duo's face and for a split second he thought he'd swallow his tongue. He didn't bother trying to speak. He shook his head violently, his eyes very wide. She was so forward he didn't know what to make of her.

Catherine turned back to the road with a worrisome scowl on her normally perky face. "That's usually done at puberty. They probably don't want you to breed any more than they do Chiri, afraid you'll pass on bad blood or some such nonsense. But they can't outlaw it. As long as Michael's in charge of passing or cutting standard laws, they won't get away with anything like that. It would take the elders to approve a new mandate."

"I don't think you can compare me with Chichiri," Duo said slowly, looking away. "Whatever made my wings black is a genetic factor that probably _will_ be passed on to any children I had. And really, I'm not – that is…I never even thought about children. I'm only fi – sixteen."

Sharp eyes flicked to him above a wry smile. "Fifteen or sixteen, with an archangel for a father, age doesn't matter. Chichiri was only three years old when he was engaged to Kouran – the same day Raphael took her as a ward. You may not get married for years, but assuming you're fertile, it's never too early to think about your future children. If they don't pass any laws preventing it, you'll be held accountable to have at least one child – the same as any archangel."

Duo jerked in his seat, his expression severe. "I am not an archangel, and I'm not going to be. Even if I did get enough support to stand for Michael's side of the family, I don't want the position. I'd rather be sterilized."

A loud 'humph' sounded over the wind as Catherine glowered. "You boys are so selfish, it's ridiculous. You sound just like Chiri. It's no wonder Raphael takes his frustration out on Tasuki, having his heir just decide on a whim that he isn't going to take his place. Us girls have to produce at least one child – as far as I'm concerned it should be the same with men, too, archangel or not. Now, even the guys who _should_ be forced to breed are finding ways out of it. Don't want to have children? Just don't be an archangel. Must be nice to have such an easy way out."

There was no arguing with the truth of her statement. Duo looked away, guilt creeping over his stubborn expression. It wasn't fair that women were forced to have children, while only a select few men had the same responsibility. But that didn't mean he had to take on a role he was entirely unsuited for. He'd repay Michael by doing his best at the academy. He didn't owe the man anything more than that.

Two archangels were chosen to represent each of the prominent families on Eden. They were chosen by majority, not just lineage. Even if he'd been Michael's blood son, that didn't necessarily mean he would take his place. As friendly as the two archangels were with him, he couldn't imagine the extended family seeing him in such a good light. And no one could be forced to take the archangel title. As long as Duo was set in his refusal, he was safe. Maybe it was selfish, but he didn't care.

Neither of them spoke after that. Catherine maintained her stubborn frown, and Duo kept his attention on the blurring road on his side of the car. He didn't so much as glance up until she slowed and turned to enter through wide silver gates. Like anywhere else on Eden, a person couldn't see the home from the road. The gates told what sort of area they were entering. One glance at the exotic curls and decorations of that delicate metal was enough to guess either an archangel or a formerly prominent family resided on the property.

They drove down a narrow road shadowed by towering shade trees and framed with carefully maintained flower patches of pale blue and pink. Duo's first thought was that Michael probably hadn't visited this place, or he'd likely have mimicked the style with his own drive. The forest parted after a while to give way for an interesting yard that was covered with flowering ivy rather than grass, the road creeping off to the large garage on the left.

Directly ahead stood a large white manor every bit as extravagant as Michael's home, complete with a shiny walkway from the parking garage to the front steps. From the way the walk sparkled, Duo suspected it was made with some sort of quartz and marble mix. Gaudy and appropriate for the third most prominent family on Eden – now part of the first. Duo was grateful that Michael's home could be called reserved in comparison. He wouldn't have wanted to live in something so…prettified.

Catherine actually opened her car door when she got out, telling Duo that she did behave properly when occasion called for it. Either that, or she was still stewing over that little conflict they'd had. He followed silently, his attention sweeping over the windows and balconies on the tall manor. It appeared that all of the upper rooms had a landing from which an angel could take to the air. That made him wonder about Michael's home. He hadn't explored the place yet, but he knew there were no balconies on the back side of the manor.

A huge man answered the door before Catherine could bruise her hand by knocking. He greeted her with a bow of his head and his eyes fell on Duo when he looked up. Duo gulped and hoped his shock didn't show on his face. If he'd thought Mitsukake was large, this man was a giant. His shoulders were so broad they nearly filled the doorway and his complexion was a russet gold, as if he'd gotten lost on a trip to the earth and had flown too close to the sun. His hair was a blackish brown shade, jagged and thick, and he had facial hair, something unheard of even in the labor districts. Duo had seen pictures of Earthians who looked more angelic than this man.

"Rashid will take you to Trowa," said Catherine, her clipped voice making it evident she was still smarting over their little argument. Her parting nod to the tall angel filling the door was painstakingly polite. "Please give my regards to Quatre."

"Of course," said Rashid.

The man waited until Catherine had disappeared into the garage. Then he stepped back and gestured for Duo to enter. He led him across a soft tan hall that was notably bare of statuary or pictures, a door opening to either side, and a single set of stairs arcing over the back of the room to separate the doors above from the ones below. They climbed these, and Duo vaguely noted that Rashid walked just slowly enough so he didn't have to trot to keep up with the man's considerably larger steps.

The brief hall above the stairs was also bare and empty. Duo wondered if this was what Catherine had meant when she said the class would be held at the 'old' Winner estate. If the family had moved to a different residence since merging with the Peacecrafts, they'd kept the old manor in a good state of repair. There wasn't a single hint of dust in the corners, nothing to suggest that the hall was rarely used.

Rashid paused before a door and rapped lightly on it in warning before opening it to announce Duo's arrival. It was so formal, Duo suspected the servant was impartial toward rank and circumstance. The man hadn't shown any hint of surprise at his appearance, and no inherent curiosity considering he knew who he was. His behavior was very different from the man who'd greeted Duo on his first visit to Michael's home the day before. It reminded Duo how much he'd changed in a single day.

He hadn't even thought to be wary and suspicious of the servant he was left with. Being around Michael's family, and Tasuki's, had put Duo at ease to the point where he almost forgot he was a pariah. So far, aside from Lowe and his foul mannered son, people were treating him as if he were just another angel. And now that he thought about it, he wondered if he weren't setting himself up for a rough time at the academy. If he dropped his defenses, he wouldn't be prepared for the treatment he knew he'd receive. He couldn't allow himself to be lulled into believing everyone was as nice as the few he'd encountered so far.

The room was white and empty, with a pale ash floor that clipped when Duo stepped on it, telling him how hard the heels of his Earthian shoes were. A single cabinet stood in the far corner, dark mahogany with glass doors that revealed a few musical instruments and rolls for notation. A few feet away, off in the other corner of the room, the two occupants were seated at a round glass table with silver braces that curled on the edges and down to the floor. A large double window gleamed behind them, giving a nice view of the sun shining through foliage across the back yard.

The smaller of the two boys was a young blonde with pale skin and wide turquoise eyes. His fluffy pale blonde hair was cut short and gleamed in the light from the window, making him look every bit as angelic as Michael. Duo's first thought was that this boy would be an archangel in a few more years, since radiant blondes were getting more and more rare as time went on. He stood when Duo entered the room and crossed to greet him. His outfit was much more formal than his smile, a strict cream blouse buttoned all the way up, and a straight tan vest that matched his loose slacks. In Duo's mind, the boy looked prim and proper, which made him all the more aware of his own outfit.

"Welcome, Duo," the boy said, "I'm Quatre Winner. It's a pleasure to meet Michael's new heir. I've heard good things about you."

Duo blinked dumbly as the boy gave his hand a firm shake. Two things flashed through his mind. First, Quatre pointedly addressed him as Michael's heir, as if that were the main reason a person would know of him. That meant he was probably going out of his way to avoid mentioning Duo's other noteworthy attribute, his wings. And second, he'd heard about him. He's expected that much, for his name to get around to the students before he even met them. What surprised him was Quatre's claim that what he'd heard were good things.

"You have?" Duo blurted, immediately wishing he'd kept his mouth shut.

"The academy results are sent to the top ten percent," explained Quatre, "so we can compare ourselves to the best and learn to emulate him. You have a very interesting way of approaching theoretical situations. You don't appear to expect the worst or the best. If there is any pattern, no one I know has been able to identify it."

The boy smiled again, and Duo gave him a weak smile that probably came out as more of a grimace. Again someone was picking at his lack of consistency, though this time it seemed to be intended as a compliment. "Right..."

"And this is Trowa Barton," said Quatre.

Although the second boy stood and acknowledged him, Duo was quick to note he didn't offer his hand. He was a good foot taller than him or Quatre, but not quite as slender. His hair was a tawny brown, short aside from a long sweep of bangs that fell diagonally over one side of his face, obscuring it from view so only one calm dark green eye was visible. Like Duo, he was wearing a semblance of the purported academy uniform, dark gray double vests and Earthian footwear. It wasn't until he turned back to lift a scroll off the table that Duo noticed he was wearing dark brown gloves that covered his palms and ended just past his knuckles. The gloves were visibly worn, and he thought they might even be made of leather. He'd never actually seen the material well enough to say for certain.

Trowa cleared off the little table, replacing rolls in the cabinet along the wall. Duo awkwardly accepted Quatre's invitation to sit while they waited for the students to arrive, since the class wouldn't be starting immediately. The blonde boy seemed very at ease, generous with his smiles, and not the least bit bothered by who he was speaking with. Again, Duo was certain the boy would be an archangel. Even if he hadn't looked the part, his manner was one that would surely draw people to him, more than enough to gain the necessary votes from his family.

Like Catherine had done, Quatre volunteered his lineage, explaining the recent merger with the Peacecrafts, and some of the matches that hadn't gone through. Duo was quickly learning to expect this. Most angels identified themselves according to family, wives, and partners. It was a reminder of how much he'd been cut off at birth, that Duo couldn't say a word about his own family history. He hadn't just missed out on having a place in Eden society, he'd lost his own identity. Simple introductions were awkward when one side of the discussion remained absolutely silent. Duo did what he could to encourage Quatre to share, while the blonde boy did his part by not drawing attention to the fact that he was doing all of the talking.

Quatre trailed off somewhat as he began discussing the class they were waiting for, and the academy. The blonde boy sent a furtive look at Trowa, and Duo found himself paying more attention. He'd been surprised by how quiet Trowa was, considering Catherine was his sister. Judging by Tasuki and Mira, Trowa's side family was crowded with self-confident extroverts, and his sister was the same way. The green-eyed boy had yet to say a word, merely watching him and Quatre, mostly Quatre.

"Trowa and I were partners when we were young," Quatre was saying, with a wistful smile, "back when our families were considering a merger. We even took our flight test together. Things have been a little disjointed since my family merged with the Peacecrafts instead. Since I moved onto the double estate, we don't have many opportunities to meet. Properly speaking, we're no longer partners, but that's due more to Peacecraft tradition than any true rift between our families."

"The Bartons have no conflict with any family," Trowa confirmed. If he noticed the way Duo blinked in surprise at having him participate, he didn't show any sign of it. "The Lowes are the exception. Now that Genrou has partnered with Raphael's son, we've sided with him on that conflict."

"As have we," Quatre said quickly, as if he thought Duo might take offense. "The Winners have always sided with Michael's family, in every conflict, not just this one. Michael's mother was a Winner, so I hope you'll feel comfortable coming to me with any trouble you might have at the academy. Our houses may not have merged, but I do consider you a cousin."

The boy gave him a warm, hopeful smile. Duo couldn't help but shoot a look at Trowa before responding. No one had said a word to him about Michael being related to the Winner family. It was true that daughters were often married out without an official merger, but the idea of two members of such prominent families joining without so much as a name claim was difficult to process. More troubling than that was the way Quatre was looking at him as if he'd found a long lost brother. Duo didn't know what sort of response was appropriate, so he gave a weak smile and dropped his eyes.

"Thank you," said Duo. "I doubt we'll see much of each other at the academy, but I appreciate the sentiment."

"How sweet," a saccharine voice noted. "Even a pariah is besotted by his radiance. It's no wonder Trowa keeps coming back, the way you flick on the charm so easily."

Duo jolted around to look behind him. He was frozen on being called a pariah, especially in such a sarcastic and insulting tone. But the comments clearly were not aimed at him. If he hadn't known no one would be stupid enough to insult a Winner, he'd have said the comments were aimed at Quatre.

"Dorothy," Quatre greeted, with just a hint of disapproval in his voice. "This is still my room. I would appreciate it if you'd knock before entering."

The girl who'd spoken was a striking blonde, her flaxen hair falling straight down past her waist, all but a few strands held out of her face by a black headband. She was wearing a black double vest, similar to Duo's and Trowa's, and a bold red skirt that billowed around her calves. Strange black shoes adorned her feet, shiny and balanced on very thin, almost stem-like heels. Duo couldn't remember ever having seen the like.

"If I did knock," the blonde girl smirked, advancing on them with a provocative twitch to her step, "I'd never be able to catch you and your _former_ partner doing something inappropriate enough to claim foul. I warned you, _dear_ Quatre, that if you're unwilling to break with tradition, I'll be forced to do it myself. You know a girl can't break without claiming _foul_, so you have no one to blame but yourself for forcing me to it."

Duo whipped back around to send a wide-eyed look at Quatre. He didn't understand what was between him and the girl, but he knew what it meant to cry _'foul'_ on someone. It was the same as 'adultery' on Earth, where one partner betrayed the other with a third party. Like rape and murder, adultery was a foul, punishable by castration, banishment, or death. It was also the only way a marriage could be broken, not counting replacements for sterile partners. He'd never heard of checker partners needing to go to such extremes in order to break from one another.

Quatre sighed at Duo and shook his head, his expression resigned and unhappy. "Duo, this is Dorothy Catalonia, sixth side family to the Peacecrafts, four generations removed. She's also my unwilling partner."

"Unwilling _and_ unwanted," Dorothy scoffed. "Neither of us want to be partners. Quatre would much rather stay partnered with Trowa, and I would rather quit the academy than be partnered with a boy, especially one so disgustingly sweet I'd have to protect him, instead of the other way around."

"It's Peacecraft tradition," said Trowa, who'd noticed the confused looks Duo was flashing at the three of them. "Other families partner children according to sex and convenience. The Peacecrafts partner according to status and marriage potential."

Now that was something Duo understood. He couldn't help but send Quatre a commiserating look. "You're engaged…?"

"Don't even suggest it!" Dorothy grimaced. For a moment she lost that playful, almost cruel smirk. Across the table, Quatre was wincing as well, equally disturbed by the very idea.

"No," said Quatre. "It's a potential match because we share no blood and are compatible according to Peacecraft standards, namely appearance and intelligence."

"And status," Dorothy added, now scowling at Duo. "But he's going to be an archangel by the time he graduates from the academy. We might be compatible now, but I'd never be married off to an archangel. So the partnership doesn't even fit with tradition. Only, we can't argue that until he's actually named an archangel. Unless he breaks from me, I'll be tied with a partner I can only keep for two years. It's ridiculous."

Duo ventured a wary look at the fuming girl. "And you can't do anything about it?"

"_He_ can," said Dorothy, with a glare at Quatre. "A woman can't protest without claiming a foul."

Quatre sighed again, wilting a little in his chair. His expression was one of resigned pain and helpless guilt. "I can't, either. My father supports the partnership. There's nothing I can do."

Dorothy waved a mocking hand and leaned against the table, her sights falling to Duo. "So we're stuck with each other, all because he's afraid to go against his father. If he ever grew a backbone, we'd probably have anarchy on Eden. It's really not fair at all. It took me years to get used to having the princess as my partner. Now I'm supposed to just switch, all because his old partner is too poor for him?"

"_Dorothy!_" Quatre gasped, anger sharpening his eyes.

The girl winced, her expression fading into simple and honest unhappiness. She flashed a sullen look at Trowa. "Nothing personal."

"I know," Trowa said back, not the least bit insulted by the truth.

Duo shook his head slowly, looking at the three unhappy teens. He'd known there were problems in every family, even the prominent ones, but he hadn't expected to see it firsthand. It was funny for him to feel sorry for a boy who'd one day be an archangel at the head of the most powerful family on Eden. But he did feel sorry for him. Duo might have been a non-person since birth, but at least he'd never been forced to partner with someone, just to maintain appearances. The worst thing he had to worry about was not finding a partner. And seeing how unhappy Dorothy and Quatre were, he suspected having no partner was better than being tied to one he didn't want.

A tap on the door warned of the servant's return. Rashid opened the door and gave a pointed nod before disappearing again. Quatre was on his feet almost immediately. He gave a relieved smile and waved for them to head out of the room.

"The first students are arriving," he explained to Duo. "I don't expect many to come, so it shouldn't be long now. Our instructor is an actual _Hunter_, five years of experience tracking Lucifers, on top of his checker time. The academy was hoping to get him as a real instructor for some of the courses, but he isn't on Eden long enough for that. The meetings will be random this year, but I'm sure we'll learn more than we could in the official classes alone."

Duo nodded with wide eyes. He'd never seen so much as a picture of a hunter. They were supposed to blend in with ordinary checkers, enabling them to find Lucifers without being identified. To meet one in person was…about as amazing as a laborer meeting an archangel. Duo's face dropped, a weak smile curving his lips. Considering who his new 'father' was, he couldn't be amazed anymore. Hopefully he'd remember that when he met this man, and not make an embarrassment of himself.

Quatre led them down the hall and into a wide white room that was cleared so nothing but a circle of mats lay on the pale floor, space open in the middle of them. Dorothy trailed back by Duo, her eyes bright and devious. She flashed him a smile that left him staring in more than a little confusion. He didn't remember becoming friends with her, but that was how she was looking at him.

"He's not just a hunter," she murmured to him, quiet enough that the other two wouldn't hear. "He's also the most delicious Peacecraft Eden has ever seen. If he hadn't been the best hunter on record, he would have been named archangel years ago. And he's _single._ There are so many women volunteering to have children for him, that he could double Eden's population in a single year…"

Duo stared at the girl's almost evil grin, which really brought attention to her unusual black eyebrows – they had an insect-like split to them that really made her look less angelic than she would have otherwise. Combined with that smile, Duo couldn't tell if she were enamored with the hunter, or mocking him and his admirers. She passed him and went to sit on the thin mat to the right of Quatre, who had chosen to sit to the side, where they'd have a view of both the back of the room – where the instructor would sit – and the doorway.

Duo was surprised to see Trowa waving him to sit between him and Quatre, but considering the issues of present and past partner, he thought it was a way to avoid problems. He wasn't about to argue against having an ally beside him when he met more of his future classmates. If they were as difficult to read as Dorothy, he wouldn't be able to immediately tell who was going to make his life miserable, and who might actually accept him. He hoped Quatre would be able and willing to advise him on the students who attended this class.

The first people to enter were more familiar than Duo would have liked. He immediately reminded himself to gripe at Tasuki later, for getting his hopes up. Whether Yukimura had already learned to use his life force or not, he and Sasuke were the first to join them in the circle. Duo was faintly surprised that the teen didn't speak to him as he moved to stand behind one of the mats, near the back of the room. He'd expected some joking comment about his failed flight, something that would humiliate him in front of Quatre, and give fodder to Dorothy, who he suspected was the sort to prod at a person's weak spots. Yukimura blinked when he saw him, and gave a somewhat friendly nod to Quatre, but he remained silent.

Sasuke sat down on the mat and proceeded to stare at him. For a brief moment, Duo wasn't sure if the boy's gaze was hostile or acknowledging. Then those golden eyes dipped a bit, and Duo realized what he was looking at. Duo blushed and shifted in embarrassment. He'd sat on his hair without even noticing. By the time he'd brushed the tail out from under him, the silver-haired boy was watching the door again. Yukimura stepped back and sat down against the wall, directly behind his partner. He flashed a sly smile at Duo, but didn't speak.

Quatre broke the silence, instantly gaining Duo's gratitude by asking the question he'd been wondering himself. "Will you be providing a demonstration?"

Yukimura's smile widened. "Just support. It would be too dangerous for me to go against a hunter here. In such a small room, the bystanders would likely be hurt."

"He's just watching," said Sasuke, in a slightly threatening tone that was aimed more at Yukimura, than Quatre.

"Ah," Yukimura gasped dramatically. "My apologies, Quatre, but I'm not supposed to speak. I'm merely a silent observer."

He leaned back against the wall and folded his arms over one knee. His amused eyes flickered over the four of them before coming to rest on the boy seated in front of him. As if he could feel that gaze, Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. Neither of them spoke again as they waited.

"Do you know them?" Quatre whispered softly to Duo.

"We've met," Duo said with reluctance.

"I see."

Duo was startled by the girl who entered next, because she went from wearing a haughty expression, to a warm smile, which she flashed at Dorothy. She was young, of medium height, and dressed in a conservative magenta skirt, with pale silver and white vests. Her Earthian shoes were similar to Dorothy's, but the heels were thicker and not nearly as high. She had sandy blonde hair falling straight to the middle of her back, two small braids curving away from her temples, and neat bangs dipping toward sky blue eyes.

She stepped into the circle to have a word with Dorothy and Duo found himself distracted by the person who'd followed her into the room. His first thought was a petty little sniff that Heero didn't clean up nearly as well as he did. The boy still looked like his hair had never met a brush, and he hadn't bothered to change at all, merely having taken off the dark jacket. Duo noticed, in a reluctant, begrudging way, that Heero's arms weren't nearly as thin as he'd expected. He did his best not to stare at those lithe muscles. Instead, he focused on the boy's face and waited for whatever insulting comment would come out of the boy's mouth.

Heero walked right past, his gaze barely shifting over them. Duo didn't know whether to wilt in relief or bristle at being ignored. Then the boy jerked to a halt and looked back over his shoulder, staring with wide, startled eyes. Duo almost grinned in surprise. Had Heero really not recognized him? Sure, his outfit was…considerably 'louder' than what he'd worn for the flight test, and his hair was a lot more noticeable when down, the loose tail still curled beside him, where he'd brushed it out from under him earlier. But his face was the same, and he really doubted there were that many angels with violet eyes.

The girl turned when she noticed Heero's distraction, her curious gaze moving to Duo as well. Duo noticed this peripherally, but wasn't willing to break the strange staring match Heero had instigated. That startled expression had shifted into vague confusion that made him appear disturbed and thrown. Whatever it was, Duo preferred that look to the cold, almost mechanical stares he'd gotten from the boy earlier that day. He only wished he knew what had bothered his rival so much – his change in appearance, or the fact that he was there in the same class.

"Who is this?" the girl asked, with a terse frown.

Dorothy smirked. "He's the black one, Michael's new ward. His name is Duo."

Duo flinched, more from the new girl's gasp than from Dorothy's reference to him. The girl's face had gone pale beneath her flushed cheeks, horror and what might have been outrage glinting off the white of her eyes. She snatched Heero's wrist and pulled him away and toward the mats on the other side of Dorothy. Duo didn't need to hear the words she hissed into Heero's ear to know they were unpleasant. He dropped his eyes and marveled at himself.

The girl's reaction had caught him off guard. As long as he'd had to deal with disgust and hate and fear, he should have been grateful that she didn't shout those words to the entire room, instead of whispering them to her friend. He knew he'd been dropping his guard more and more, the longer he spent around people who accepted him. He just hadn't expected to feel so…hurt…by a single encounter. If being rejected by a stranger bothered him that much, how was he going to get through a single day at the academy?

A tentative hand brushed his right shoulder. Duo jerked away, his eyes wary until he remembered it was just Quatre sitting beside him. The blonde boy was giving him a very dark look, almost as if he were furious or so unhappy he was beyond caring. It just didn't fit with the bright, easy smiles Duo had seen on him earlier.

"I apologize for her," Quatre said quietly, his tone clipped and almost emotionless. "She's Relena Peacecraft, and she lacks a reasonable counsel. As the only daughter, all the information she receives is filtered a dozen times over before it reaches her. I realize that's no excuse, but I don't want you to hold her views against the Peacecraft family, and my family by association. I have nothing but the utmost respect for you and your family."

Duo shook his head slowly, still taken back by how much that expression disturbed him. He almost felt as if he were the one who should apologize to Quatre, as if he'd crossed some political line and endangered a truce. It was the tone, how carefully chosen and formal the words were. He felt as if he were a breath away from losing a friend, but more than that. His instinct was telling him that he'd stumbled into something much bigger than a personal insult, and that it all went back to the family lines. This was a pressure he could have done without.

"I wouldn't hold something another person did against you," said Duo.

He thought he should have added that he wouldn't hold an entire family guilty for something one person did. He would have added that, but it was a lie because he'd already condemned the entire Lowe family over the actions of a few members. Now that he realized what he'd unconsciously done, he made up his mind to stop. It wouldn't be easy with so many people telling him how bad the family was. Seeing how worried Quatre was at the thought of being held accountable for Relena helped strengthen Duo's resolve. He wouldn't want to be blamed for something a member of Raphael's family did, so he'd be a hypocrite if he were to do the same to someone else.

"Really," Duo said, with a sober nod. "You've been nothing but courteous to me."

Dorothy leaned back so she could whisper around Quatre. "He was aiming for _friendly_. He just gets all stiff when he has to be the proper Winner heir."

That strained expression broke from the blonde boy's face, and Duo found himself giving Dorothy a confused look. She'd appeared to be close friends with Relena, so why was she smirking at him like _they_ were the friends? He just couldn't get rid of his instinctive distrust. He didn't know what to make of her.

Quatre gave him a faint smile and dropped his eyes. Duo did the same.

A strange thought came into his mind as he waited for the rest of the class. He was recalling something Cathy had mentioned during his ride over. If Relena was the only daughter, she was the one who'd been engaged to Chichiri's partner. That explained why she'd entered with Heero, if Odin planned to marry his son to her instead. From the way she'd latched onto the boy, she probably didn't mind the switch. But Cathy had said the Peacecrafts were against the match – unwilling to forgive the insult of the first broken engagement. She'd said they were more apt to marry the girl to-

Duo choked, his stomach clenching in a nauseating knot.

Was that why Quatre had been so worried that he would turn against the Peacecraft family? Because they were planning a future match with Michael's house? Even knowing who Michael had adopted as his heir, they still supported it?

Even if Duo refused to consider being an archangel, Michael could put pressure on him if he were in favor of a marriage between the families. And Michael's mother had been a Winner. If Duo were to marry a Peacecraft, it would elevate both houses.

But that was completely ignoring the fact that he was a mutant, who'd almost certainly pass that on to any children he had. And the girl despised him – just as much as he hated her for hitting him when he hadn't been prepared for the emotional blow. The very idea was disgusting and quite ridiculous. Quatre had probably only been concerned because Michael shared blood with his family, and the two remained close allies. Duo was more than happy to leave it at that and wipe all thoughts of anything else out of his mind.

A lone boy entered the room. Duo, who was eager for a vivid distraction, centered his attention on him. He was about the same height as him, with black hair pulled tightly behind his head and held in a small tail at the nape of his neck. He was dressed in a loose version of the vested uniform, white and cream with red markings on the outer vest. What caught Duo's eye the most was the sword slung on the boy's hip, the sheath even wider than the one Yukimura had. The boy crossed to sit beside Sasuke, with a nod of acknowledgment to Yukimura.

"Wufei Chang," Quatre whispered, having noticed Duo's interest. "They and the Sanada's are both border clans. I've heard Wufei aims to be a hunter or a border guard. You can usually tell because they're the only ones who don't have partners."

Duo refrained from commenting on that. He didn't have a partner, either, but that didn't automatically mean he wanted to be a hunter or a guard. He simply refused to believe anyone would trust him to hunt down Lucifers, let alone to guard Eden from them. As far as most people were concerned, he'd been born a Lucifer and it was just a matter of time before he showed himself as such. While it would have been nice to aim for a position that didn't require a partner, Duo was more realistic than that.

"I think that's everyone," Quatre was saying. "There should be more students once the academy starts."

A tall man entered last, shut the door behind him, and crossed to stand near the back wall. Duo knew this had to be the hunter Dorothy had gone on about. He was simply beautiful, but in a powerful way. His hair was striking, jagged white bangs dipping down into his pale blue eyes and framing his face, the rest falling straight down to his waist. He was wearing a long black coat that fell loose from his waist, accentuating his lithe figure and his tall black boots. Everything about him, from his unaffected grace to his steely gaze, screamed _hunter_. He was just the sort of figure children idolized and joined the academy to emulate.

Duo was surprised when the man spoke, introducing himself simply as Zechs. He'd expected the man to have a booming voice, the sort that would echo off the walls and demand their attention, as if they weren't already watching him. Instead, he spoke in a soft voice that might have been lost in a room of whispering teens. None of them were whispering. If any of them had been, Duo was sure they'd have gone quiet in order to hear him.

"Today, you are to tap your life force. Do not attempt to use it. You are going to bring it out in an active manner so you can determine the inherent power you have at your disposal. Once you have become familiar with your limits, you will be able to draw from that energy without endangering yourselves."

Across the circle from Duo, Wufei and Sasuke nodded and bowed their heads as if in some form of meditation. Duo shot a look of disbelief at the hunter. Did he just expect them to just know what to do? If he knew how to use his energy, he wouldn't need the class.

The white-haired man stepped into the circle to look over the rest of them. Duo flushed a little when those pale blue eyes paused on him. He couldn't tell if the hunter looked at him longer than he had Trowa, but it felt as if he were being put on the spot. He had no idea what he was supposed to be doing and he was too embarrassed to ask. Then those eyes shifted on to Quatre and the other three on their side of the room.

"Take up a comfortable position and relax," said Zechs, taking a stance in the center of the circle again. "Close your eyes and listen to your body until you can hear the heartbeats. Find the energy that allows your heart to beat, the force that keeps it beating, even after your mind has exhausted itself. Once you've touched it, you'll be able to draw it forward on instinct."

Duo shifted his folded legs and ducked his head, relief sagging his shoulders as much as his attempt to relax. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to listen for the sound of his heartbeat when he was supposed to be relaxing. It sounded like meditation. He thought the point of meditation was not to concentrate on anything. As soon as he started listening to his breaths, he found himself breathing slower and deeper, unable to observe without changing the very thing he was focused on. He could feel his heart beating but it was far too quiet to hear over his own breaths. His imagination helped add a sound to match the rhythm, but he suspected that wasn't quite what the hunter meant by listening.

A quiet murmur caught his attention, coming from his left. He recognized Zechs' voice, though he couldn't make out what the man was whispering to Trowa. Although he kept his eyes closed the distraction was too close to block out. He closed his eyes tighter and gave the best lecture he could to that silent heartbeat of his. If he couldn't even hear that without pretending, there was no way he'd be able to find his latent power, let alone tap into it and draw it out. He heard a wisping step, just enough warning to keep his eyes from flashing open when a light pressure touched his bowed head.

"You're trying too hard," was the murmured advice.

Duo's brows drew into a bitter frown and he felt his face heat with embarrassment. Of course he was trying too hard. Nothing happened when he didn't try at all. Maybe he didn't even have the same life force normal angels had. He had absolutely no way of knowing.

"Stop," said Zechs, crouched close enough that only Duo would hear him. "If you use it like that, without understanding what you've tapped, you'll hurt someone. Relax. Now close your hands. Softly or you'll provoke it. Don't think about what you're trying to do. Just hold it. When you can feel what you're holding, open your eyes."

That weight lifted off his head as the man stepped to Quatre. Duo didn't try to listen to whatever advice he murmured to the other boy. The moment he'd curled his fingers closed, he'd felt...something. His palms tingled warm and fluid and he thought his heart might have skipped a beat. He still had a strong urge to clench his fists. He could imagine that, squeezing the sensation until it flowed through his arms and struck a flash in his mind, like pure adrenaline. It reminded him of the terror he'd felt when he found himself in free-fall for the first time, except he wasn't afraid so much as...wary, maybe. He felt as if he could do anything and he wanted to test that, right now. He was wary of his own enthusiasm.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he opened his eyes. He was afraid that sensation would disappear if he dared to look at his curled hands. And he thought it had disappeared. There was no light, no visible proof that he was doing anything but sitting quietly with his hands palm-up on his knees. But he could still feel the pressure in his hands as if he were holding water.

Once everyone had tapped their energy, Zechs stepped out of the circle and stood back near the door. "Now that you know what you're using, you should be able to tap your life force any time you need to. The key is not to use any more than you have to. To find out your limits, provoke your energy as I warned you not to. This is different for everyone. I'll take you one at a time so no one pushes too far."

Duo fidgeted as he waited for the hunter to get to him. He couldn't see what the others were doing - Wufei and Sasuke had barely glanced up before Zechs nodded and sent them to stand back against the wall. There was no visible sign of the energy, no way to tell if one person's limit were higher than another's. Duo watched carefully when it was Trowa's turn. He thought he might have felt a vibration in the air, glimpsed a slight wave to the boy's long bangs. That was all. It made him wonder how Zechs knew a person had reached his limit and wasn't just tapping enough power for it to be noticeable.

Those pale blue eyes landed on him, and Duo grinned. He didn't mean to. He was simply too impatient to school his expression. He closed his hands tight and waited for the rush he'd imagined. That tingle ignited in a vibrant burning sensation, not flowing up his arms as he'd expected, but through every part of him. This time he heard his heart skip a beat, echo, and then pound in his ears at a rate that made him feel as if he were hyperventilating. There was no flash behind his eyes, but the room tinted faintly gold, turning Zechs' hair the same color as Relena's. Duo blinked and the sensations faded out to leave him feeling heady and tired.

Zechs nodded and Duo pushed to his feet so he could join Trowa near the wall. He was glad to see that his legs didn't shake. He really felt as if he'd been running for hours. And yet...he didn't feel as if that were everything. He still had that confidence that he could do anything, certainly much more than just that. He kept this to himself and leaned against the wall where he could watch the others. Quatre wasn't long in joining them, which told him his own 'test' hadn't lasted nearly as long as it has seemed in his mind.

Dorothy was grinning when she joined them. She crossed over to lean next to Duo, between him and Trowa. She didn't seem the least bit interested in watching Relena's test.

"Didn't I tell you Zechs was delicious?" Dorothy whispered, her dark eyes glinting deviously. "He gets his looks from his father. His mother was pretty, but you can see from Relena that it's just not the same as that white hair. Only Peacecraft sons have hair like that."

Duo stiffened and shot a look at Zechs, who was still standing in front of Relena. "They're brother and sister? Then he's-"

"The heir," Dorothy nodded. "But Zechs is his hunter name. He hasn't gone by his real name since he graduated from the academy. Ah, there goes Relena. She's really afraid of you. A lot of people think it might be contagious and don't want you so close to the rest of us. The activists really do have a reasonable pitch, not knowing the cause or nature of the mutation. Not that they have nearly enough clout to get past Michael. Relena just has a weak spot for lost causes. I can't wait till she sees your wings. She'll probably have a petition going around the first week to get you thrown out of the academy. It should be interesting to see who doesn't sign it. With Quatre on your side, it'll be like some Earthian civil war. He has as many supporters as Relena does."

She was smirking at him again, as if it were some joke between the two of them. Duo snapped his gaping mouth closed and looked away. The more she smiled, the less comfortable he felt around her. He simply couldn't tell if she were being spiteful or playful. From how openly she derived amusement at his expense, he wanted to pass her off as an enemy. She was far too excited at the thought of chaos erupting in the academy, with him in the center of it.

He forced his attention back to Zechs and blinked in surprise. The hunter was glaring down at Heero, his demeanor very different from the calm, almost gentle way he'd approached the class.

"If you're not going to take this seriously," Zechs was saying, "you need not come back."

Heero didn't respond. Duo found himself startled by the open hostility on the boy's face. He was staring up at Zechs with narrow eyes, his mouth closed in a tight frown. Dorothy eased closer to Duo's side, more than happy to fill him in.

"Zechs doesn't care for the way Relena dotes on Heero," she whispered. "But with Yukimura here, this should be good."

Duo raised an eyebrow, glancing from the smirking girl over to where Yukimura was still seated against the wall. Other than a slightly amused smile, the black-haired teen didn't look overly interested in the scene.

"I refuse to believe that's the extent of your power," said Zechs.

Heero eased back so he could rise to his feet. There was a significant height difference, but he didn't look the least bit intimidated. When he spoke, it was with a cold, dangerous tone.

"Are you challenging me?" asked Heero.

"Heero..." Relena sighed.

Duo glanced over to find the girl staring at the two angels with sparkling eyes, her hands clutched over her chest as if they were about to fight for her honor. His eyebrow twitched and he leaned away, instinctively putting more distance between them. Having Quatre between him and her wasn't nearly enough. Part of his distaste stemmed from resentment at the way she'd reacted to him earlier. The rest was a cynical little voice that told him she was the melodramatic type. He could only hope she didn't sigh like that very often.

Zechs stepped back and glanced at the teens watching from the walls. His expression shifted into a sly smile that rivaled Dorothy's. "Excellent suggestion, Heero. Since you don't care to take part in the exercise, you can participate in a demonstration."

He gave a warning look at the others. "You are not to attempt this without supervision. As you should know, life-force can be used in both offensive and defensive ways. Few of you will have need to use it as such. However," he turned to nod at the three clan members on the other side of the room, "when combined with a weapon, your energy may allow you to overcome a more skilled adversary. Sanada?"

Yukimura raised an eyebrow. His smile eased into a flirtatious smirk as he ran a hand over the hilt of his sword. "Mine? Zechs...you should know better. No one touches _my_ sword."

Sasuke snorted and reached a hand over his back. The narrow straight sword he drew was nearly as tall as he was. He tossed it to Heero with a wry warning not to lose too quickly. Wufei sent the boy a resentful scowl and slowly drew his own blade, which was considerably wider and curved in the middle till it reached a tiny point at the end.

"Don't let Sasuke's muramasa scratch the blade," Wufei warned Zechs. "If there's so much as a chip, you replace the sword."

Duo blinked in surprise at the boy's disrespectful tone. Dorothy appeared to be smothering a laugh behind her hand, so he didn't bother asking if the clans really had so little fear of a hunter, particularly a hunter who just happened to be the Peacecraft heir. He didn't know how skilled Heero was with a sword, but he was sure a hunter would be at least as strong as the military clan members. Wufei's skepticism was a blatant insult. Zechs didn't appear bothered by it, though. He turned to send one more look over the teens.

"In this aspect, you don't just to provoke your energy. You harness it." He turned dark eyes on Heero and lifted the sword so it was arched diagonally in front of him. "When you're ready."

It was fairly obvious to Duo that this was not a demonstration. He remembered what Chichiri had said about Heero not being the sort to worry about competition. That didn't fit with the way the boy was staring at Zechs, as if they were natural rivals. If they hadn't been fighting over a girl, one Duo really didn't care for, he might have been more excited by the idea of these two facing off. He knew Heero was taking lessons in combat from the Sanada clan, which was renowned for its skill with weaponry. Zechs, on the other hand, was a genuine hunter, not to mention heir to the most powerful family on Eden.

Heero moved suddenly. A ripple flowed from where the swords clashed, the sparks making it visible seconds before it could be felt by the students watching.

Duo's attention heightened. He could almost imagine what their energies looked like, a simmering shroud of light that let off wisps as they moved. Suddenly he wanted to be out there, using his own energy like that. He wondered if Michael would approve of him taking lessons from the Sanada clan as well. If he gave the idea as a way to 'best' Heero, he thought the archangel would be quick to agree. And he thought he'd have a good chance of catching up to Heero if he started soon. He could tell from watching the two angels that the younger boy was clearly outmatched. He didn't know if it was a lack of skill, or a difference in their powers, but Heero was definitely having trouble holding on to his sword.

A twisting blow sent the longer sword spinning free. Heero ducked back and crouched a few feet away, his thick bangs waving over his eyes as his energy shifted from offensive to defensive. Zechs straightened with a cool stare. To the side of them, Sasuke caught his sword before it could dig itself into the floor. His glare was even darker than Heero's.

"Two weeks of training and you can't last two minutes," Sasuke spat at Heero. "You shame the Sanada clan."

Heero's glare darkened and Zechs relaxed his stance. Yukimura waved the comment off with a careless smile.

"It can't be helped that a sword isn't Heero's weapon of choice," said Yukimura. "Besides, it's much easier to deflect a straight sword than it is a curved one."

"Don't make excuses," Wufei sniffed. "Heero knows he had the superior blade and lost regardless of that."

Zechs returned his borrowed sword and nodded once at Heero. "That really was your limit. I thought you would be the strongest in this field and so suspected you of holding back. I concede my mistake in overestimating you."

Heero's low growl sent a shiver down Duo's arms. He had a wild idea that the boy was seconds away from attacking the hunter with his bare hands, or rather, with his life force alone. And just as he'd been confident that there was more to his own power than he'd tapped earlier, he knew this defeat was premature. It was in those eyes. He could see it burning there, an icy blue sheen ghosting over the dark depths. He wondered what it would be like to have that directed at him, and how Zechs could be so blind to the danger facing him. Then those eyes closed and Duo leaned back with a shaky breath.

He didn't care why he was supposed to view the boy as a rival. Now he wanted to for his own reasons. He wanted to know if he really had as much potential as he thought he did. He'd never been filled with so much self-confidence and motivation, and he liked the feeling. Even if he lost in a confrontation, that would just drive him to push harder.

Duo wasn't aware of the gleam in his eyes, or the almost predatory way he was watching Heero. If he had, he might have paid more attention to the sharp, startled look Zechs sent him. He'd decided. He was absolutely going to make Heero acknowledge him a rival. It was only a question of how.

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_

**Note:** This part took forever to write. The next part will be short – the last one before the academy. Once the 'school-fic' starts (part 6), there will be a lot more interaction between the GW characters, particularly Duo and Heero. Information about Eden, Earth, and checkers should come through during the classes.

_Next part, Duo experiments and Heero trespasses._


End file.
